The Innarim
by Accipitridae
Summary: A mission to a strange alien lab brings about new discoveries, friendships and revelations for SG1 – all because of a single, frayed wire… slight SJ.
1. Chapter 1: PX3… something or other

Title: **The Innarim**

Genre: Action/Adventure, slight Sam/Jack (possibly later)

Rating: T

Spoliers: anything from Season 1 - 5

Summary: A mission to a strange alien lab brings about new discoveries, friendships and revelations for SG-1 – all because of a single, frayed wire…

_Stargate SG-1, its storylines and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for non-commercial, entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended. Any original characters, locations and plotlines are mine._

Note: this is my first SG-1 fic, so comments or constructive suggestions are welcomed.

Friendly personal request: please avoid mentioning events that occur in Seasons 6 – 8 if you post a review. I have missed a lot of Season 6, most of Season 7 and haven't seen any of Season 8 at all yet.

**Chapter 1 – PX3… something or other**

"Anything?" O'Neill called out to the darkened room.

SG-1 had been sent on a standard reconnaissance mission to P3X…. something or other - Colonel O'Neill rarely remembered or cared – after the MALP had sent back images of a tree-filled world, uninteresting save for a weathered looking structure not far from the gate. It had not been one of the Abydos cartouche addresses, so there was little chance of Goa'uld activity and Daniel had been practically hopping about on the ramp at the chance of an isolated culture free from the shadow of the snakeheads.

They had traversed several long, dark corridors of the structure before coming across a sealed door. It had not taken long to open with Teal'c to persuade it.

"This building appears to be deserted, O'Neill," Teal'c observed, shouldering his staff weapon. "No-one has been here for some time."

"Well, no taking any chances, T," he replied in the gloom. "Stay sharp."

Jack relaxed his tight grip on his weapon, taking the opportunity to glance at the alien interior his team now occupied. The room was rounded like a cylinder, reaching far above them, the ceiling lost in the blackness. In the centre was a giant shard of irregular crystal that speared towards the shrouded roof, held in place by thick steel-like cables. It pulsed with an icy blue glow, seemingly clinging to life. The room was tinged with its frosty light. There was a hole in the floor where it stretched up from, and he leant on the guard rail surrounding it to peer down, wrapping his fingers around the bar for support. He saw more shadows wreathing the plunge below the crystal, the bottom of that abyss as equally lost as the ceiling.

"Whoa," he breathed to himself, pulling back. "OK, kids? Found anything?"

Carter was busy examining various devices and workbenches built into the single wall circled around them, torch flitting from place to place curiously.

"These look like computers for analysing data, sir," she replied, completely focused. "And it looks like there are a lot of scientific tools here. I think this is some kind of lab, Colonel."

"Then at least one of us feels at home, Major," he joked, smirking.

In the low light, he couldn't see if she appreciated the quip, but she made no reply. Either she was smiling to herself at her CO's sense of humour, or she was masking the irritation at the subtle reminder that she practically lived in her lab back at sub-level 19. He sought out Daniel in the dark, shining his torch at the fourth figure stooping over a control panel littered with lines of alien text.

"Whatcha got there, Daniel?"

Daniel winced momentarily as his eyes adjusted to the extra light from Jack's torch in addition to his own, before answering without even looking up.

"I think this text is a variation of Norse runes," he stated distractedly.

"Perhaps this place was constructed by the Asgard," Teal'c suggested evenly.

"These runes are far too obscure to be Asgard," Daniel stated. "I won't be able to work out what they mean without some kind of reference from back home."

"Take photos," Jack instructed unnecessarily – Daniel had already fished the digital camera out of his rug-sack.

"He's right, sir," Carter added, peering into an uncovered panel of exposed circuits. "This technology doesn't look anything like what we've seen from the Asgard. It looks like a hybrid of a new kind of electronics and Goa'uld technology."

"Goa'uld?" Jack's hand inched over his P90 instinctively.

"I've never seen anything like this, Colonel," Carter began, her voice betraying wonderment. "I don't think the Goa'uld built this either. They use neatly cut crystals; these look like they've been used in their original, uncut form. Not to mention the majority of the system looks like it is based on this other technology rather than the crystals-"

"Agh," Jack barked sharply.

Sam recognised the Colonel's non-sensical interruption as his order to stop talking science at him.

"Sorry, sir," she smirked. "I think whoever designed the technology studied the Goa'uld crystal-based technology and decided not to waste a good idea. They incorporated it into their own systems. I really have to analyse this, sir. This could be big."

"Well, while you've got your head in there, can you figure out how to turn the lights on in here?"

"I think so sir, give me a second…"

The pulse of the giant crystal dominating the room grew stronger, and a dull humming noise permeated the air. Daniel stopped focusing his camera to step back from the towering object nervously. Jack heard a muffled spark, and saw the brief glimmer of icy blue light from inside the panel Sam was working at.

"Carter! Be careful!" he snapped protectively.

"Yes, sir," came her muted response. "This should be it…"

There was another fizzing spark before the humming increased a few notes, and the pulse of the crystal became a continuous, icy glow, interrupted now and then by a slight flicker. The light was stronger and clearer, and the four of them switched off their torches. Sam replaced the cover of the panel and attempted to flatten down her ruffled hair.

"Hey, what are those?" Jack wondered out loud, spying half a dozen glass cylinders on the far side of the wall.

All attached to some kind of computer with a multitude of wires, which in turn trailed a wire that snaked across the floor and fused to the body of the crystal like a vein. Sam joined Jack as he ambled over to them. The glass was frosted over on all of the person-sized containers.

"They look like some kind of stasis cell, sir – they remind me of the ones Hathor put us in, only vertical as if you're meant to stand instead of lying down."

She scrubbed her hand over the surface of the first cell, clearing the frost away.

"No-one home," O'Neill commented as they gazed through the glass.

It was short work to clear the rest. All six cells were empty.

"What do you suppose this was all for?" Jack questioned his second, gesturing to the alien lab around them. "And where did everyone go? This place looks abandoned, not destroyed."

"It appears to be designed for biological study and testing, O'Neill," Teal'c commented in his stoic way. "As for the fate of the scientists, perhaps they were relocated or reassigned. Is it not true that projects can be halted by a government by removing their resources, MajorCarter?"

"Unfortunately, Teal'c, yes," she answered wryly.

Jack got the impression that it had happened to her at least once, before she began working on the Stargate project. Knowing how stubborn she was, Jack could just imagine her arguing the case to whoever dealt with the funding. He shook himself back to reality.

"Well, unless there's something else to do here, we should head back to the gate so Danny can get his books and Carter can rustle up some techno analysing doohickeys," he declared.

As he led the way to the doorway, O'Neill snagged his boot on one of the trailing wires winding across the lab floor. Teetering to a halt, he rested his hand on one of the computer consoles so he could balance properly and free his foot.

As his palm made contact with the surface, a juddering, fiery pain engulfed his arm and etched its way down his entire right side. His body was jolted away and collapsed to the floor as the lab was plunged into complete darkness. He could hear the shouts of surprise from his team as his consciousness deserted him.


	2. Chapter 2: Discussing Science

_Friendly personal request: please avoid mentioning events that occur in Seasons 6 – 8 if you post a review. I have missed a lot of Season 6, most of Season 7 and haven't seen any of Season 8 at all yet._

**Chapter 2 – Discussing Science**

Daniel's first realisation of the Colonel rejoining the waking world was when one of his sheets of paper, riddled with notes and runes, disappeared from view. He closed his book at looked at Jack. He grimaced as he realised his decision to get some research done while sitting with him had resulted in the Colonel being half covered in stray paper.

In his muzzy, confused state, he had picked up the first thing he saw, and was now squinting at it.

"Jack?"

His head snapped around, "Daniel?"

"How're you feeling?"

"Ugh," he moaned, clutching his forehead. "like… there's a Replicator dancing around in my skull… Carter? Teal'c?"

"They're both fine. It was you we were worried about," Daniel reassured, signalling for a nurse to get Dr. Frasier. "Do you remember anything?"

"I remember a giant blue crystal, telling Carter to turn on the lights… and something about a lack of funding…"

Jack suddenly looked distant and concerned, as if remembering something else, something more significant. With alarmed eyes, he glanced down at his right hand. It was bandaged around the palm. He also appeared to wince as he lifted his arm up to inspect it.

"This arm isn't awake yet…" he muttered. "What-"

"Don't worry, Colonel," Dr. Frasier instructed in her friendly-yet-professional tone as she strolled into the infirmary. "Your hand just took a minor burn. I was more worried about you not waking up due to the electric shock."

"Electric shock?" he echoed, eyebrows raised.

"According to Major Carter, you leant on a frayed cable in the alien lab on the planet. You're lucky, sir."

Jack winced again, "Doesn't feel lucky…"

"I'm not surprised – that was a powerful charge. I'll give you something for that, sir. You know you've been out for about 20 hours."

"Sam said you did the equivalent of blow the fuse in that lab," the archaeologist smirked, retrieving his page of notes from Jack's unharmed hand. "The power stopped working altogether. I think she was disappointed, but that wasn't the highest on the list of our priorities when you were slumped over one of the computer consoles."

"Where are Carter and Teal'c?" Jack quizzed. Daniel sensed he was trying to mask embarrassment.

"Sam's working on a generator to get the alien lab working again. I'm not sure where Teal'c is. Hammond put us on standby until you recovered."

Across the room, Daniel saw Janet sigh in resignation. He guessed this was one of the things that made her job difficult: convincing or even forcing Colonel O'Neill to stay put in the infirmary. He was expecting it too – the 'I'm fine now so lets get back to work' stance so typical of Jack.

"Do you think you and Carter could use a couple of days more to do your research and stuff?" he yawned, settling back into his pillow and covering his eyes with one hand. "I don't think I could move even if you put a huge cake across the room."

Daniel and Janet slowly glanced at each other and frowned.

* * *

"Hel-lo!" Colonel bellowed as he stuck his head around the door of Carter's lab.

Carter yelped in surprise, jerking her hands away from the naquadah reactor on her lab desk.

"Sir!"

"Oops," he commented, hopping through the doorway. "Reactor… shouldn't have done that… don't want to make you blow up this level."

Sam smiled at him as he ambled around the desk to peer at her 'doohickey' as he put it. For someone who had suffered a massive electric shock only two days before, he was surprising jovial.

"You look better, sir," she stated conversationally, inwardly relieved. "I came to see you yesterday after Daniel told me you'd woken up, but you were already asleep again. Janet said you didn't try to escape as usual."

"I think sleep and painkillers was all I needed, really," he shrugged. "Still working on this generator thingy?"

"Yes, sir," she confirmed. "I need to make some more adjustments and run some simulations before we can try using the reactor with the lab back on the planet."

Jack nodded as if to say 'fair enough', "Hammond has scheduled a return mission tomorrow at 1300 – think you'll be done by then?"

"Possibly, sir."

"Well, I won't keep you. The General wants my report before the end of the day, or I'm in trouble," he waved farewell and ambled back out.

Sam couldn't help but wonder how odd the entire visit had seemed.

* * *

It was the around 1100 the following day when she saw the Colonel again, wandering into the commissary as he whistled to himself.

Jack sat casually on the seat opposite Sam, propping an elbow on the table between them and resting his head on one hand. Sam herself was displaying the female proficiency with multi-tasking; reading a report, eating commissary blue Jell-O and mumbling a distracted 'sir' at Jack. Enigmatically, Jack said nothing, instead choosing to smirk at his second in command.

Sam frowned at him – he seemed far too nonchalant and relaxed. Yet, his languid, contented expression was enough to make her chuckle in response. After nearly choking on some of her dessert (and a couple of swift pats between the shoulder blades from her CO) in her attempt to swallow and laugh at the same time, she shifted the front page of her report around for Jack to see when she caught him peering over the table at it.

"Do you EVER stop working, Carter?" he quizzed good-naturedly, raising an eyebrow.

"Contrary to popular belief, sir, yes," Sam countered with a smile, dragging the page back across the tabletop.

"Could-a fooled me, Major," he quipped, eyeing the suddenly forgotten, half-finished bowl of Jell-O by her arm. "You gonna eat the rest of that?"

The question caught her off-guard. She was well aware of Jack's fondness of sweet desserts (cake in particular), and didn't find the inquiry and underlying request rude to any real degree, but she was sure Jack usually took the option of grabbing his own bowl before joining her.

"What? Uh… no, be my guest," Sam replied, pushing the bowl towards him.

As Jack dug into the rest of the blue substance, Sam focused on her report again, putting the Colonel's eccentricity to having an unusually good day, despite the bandage wrapped around his right palm.

"How's the hand, sir?"

"Fine, thanks," her CO mumbled between bites.

Within a minute, Jack had finished off the Jell-O, and sat back in his chair as he muttered 'nice' to himself. Sam regarded him in puzzlement as she realised he had turned up, presumably to see her, but not made any mention of it. She was positive he hadn't just had a whim to politely steal her dessert.

"Did you… actually want something, sir?" she queried.

"Uh… yeah," he nodded quickly. "This alien lab we just short-circuited or drained or something… why can't we just hook up a naquadah generator and press the 'on' switch?"

"Well, sir," she began, brightening up, in her element, "from what I was able to see from the way the technology is constructed, the power systems for the lab are partly crystal-based and partly based on a semi-conductor element I haven't seen before. I'm guessing that since this new element is a lot like silicon, it'll act much the same way - it means it's similar to our technology. However, the crystal-based parts are more like Goa'uld technology. The combination of the two means it's not completely compatible with our generator, so I need to jury-rig it with parts of Goa'uld technology we've recovered. Otherwise it might explode."

"Right…" he responded thoughtfully. "You said this new element is _like_ silicon, but it's not actually silicon."

"Yeah," Sam confirmed.

"That might mean it acts completely differently. I mean, neon and sodium are 10 and 11 in the periodic table. Neon is an inert gas and sodium is a metal that burns in water. Are you _sure_ that's not the case here? I wouldn't want to take the chance, especially with some new alien element no-one's tested yet. Didn't you blow up an entire sub-level of the mountain when we first found the naquadah in Cassie?"

"That's true, but from what I've learned by looking at the technology, the builders made the power systems using this element in a way that expects it to act like silicon. For example, it…"

Sam trailed off with a stark and sudden epiphany.

She looked straight at Jack, who furrowed his brow in puzzlement.

"For example… what?" he urged, waving his hand about expectantly.

"We're discussing science," she stated, stunned.

"Huh?"

"Are you feeling OK, Colonel?"

"Yes, of course!" he dismissed the question with exasperation. "What's up with you all of a sudden, Carter?"

"What's up with me?" Sam tensed with indignation. "With all due respect, sir, it's you who hasn't been yourself. You've been far more casual than usual since we got back from the planet; you didn't really complain about being in infirmary; you tend not to track me down to finish off my dessert for me; and you've just _let_ me explain something scientific to you!"

Jack only cemented her argument by holding up his hands submissively, rather than retort with a warning about insubordination. Sam felt a cold wash of nervousness sweep over her.

"And you were listening… you talked back to me scientifically…"

The equally nervous expression Jack suddenly adopted told her she had him cornered. Behind his eyes was the sudden glimmer of realisation of some catastrophic mistake in whatever plan he had formed in his head. Sam swallowed, muscles tensed as she leaned onto the tabletop and spoke her suspicion.

"You're not Colonel O'Neill."

He glanced around the commissary, almost conspiratorially, before leaning forward himself. He looked almost apologetic.

"Not really, no."

Instinctively, she slowly backed off until the backrest of the chair stopped her leaning any further away. Jack – or whoever he now was – had mirrored the action, just as slowly to avoid unnecessary, threatening movement that might startle her after such a revelation.

There wasn't much to say to that. What _could_ you say to a superior officer who had just admitted he is not himself?

"So what do we do now?" he asked, defeatist.

"What do you mean?" she replied guardedly.

"Well, you know about me now. If I just let you wander off, there'll be a security team chasing after me within five minutes. Then again, I can't do anything here – we're in a room full of people."

He pointed at her.

"What about you? Technically, you're supposed to report this – an intruder – but how do you know if I'll follow and try to stop you by any means necessary once you're in an empty corridor? Sure, there _are_ cameras, but security can't watch every screen every second, and it could be an hour or so before you're missed. If you don't report it, I could easily escape off-base."

Sam remained silent, digesting the not-O'Neill hypotheses-babbling. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"We can't just sit at this table forever either."

"No, we can't," she answered hollowly.

Sam stood, and began to walk for the door. She wasn't quite sure what she was going to do, but then again neither did he. All of his talk of possible situations stemming from that revelation was based heavily on 'ifs'. If she was actually reported him… if he was willing to stop her attempts… if the security on duty happened to glance away a moment should she be attacked…

As a scientist, she knew conjecture could be useful, but dangerously inaccurate. He was just as in the dark as she was. She heard his chair scrape against the floor – no doubt he intended to keep a keen eye on her. In his position, Sam was sure _she_ wouldn't have wanted such volatile information to go wandering around unchecked.

After leaving the commissary, Sam immediately turned the corner and stopped, turning about. She pressed herself against the wall, ignoring the puzzled look of a passing technician. The Colonel's familiar footsteps approached, boots heavy on the concrete floor. As his head peered around the corner, she swung a fist up at him.

* * *

"Come in," Hammond commanded, putting his pen down and sighing. There was enough paperwork in the SGC without interruptions.

He was immediately set on edge by the confused-yet-concerned look on Davis' face as he opened the door to his office.

"Something wrong, Davis?"

"Uh… there's just been a call from the commissary, General. They reported that Major Carter has been apprehended for attacking Colonel O'Neill, sir."


	3. Chapter 3: Einar

**Chapter 3 – Einar**

General Hammond grimaced to himself as he marched side-by-side with Dr. Frasier towards the SGC holding cells.

"You know, I've always had a nagging suspicion that this would happen one day," he commented.

Janet couldn't help but smile a little at that.

"Do you have any idea what could have caused all of this, Doctor?"

"Not yet, sir," she replied. "Rumours are flying around already though. Most of the personnel in the commissary seem to think the Colonel suggested something inappropriate, and Major Carter didn't take it in good humour."

"Well, I hope not," the General snarled, signalling for the SF to open the door to the cells.

Sam had been lying awkwardly on the hard bed in one of the locked cells. She looked up as the door creaked open, and immediately jumped up when Hammond entered, followed by Janet.

"General," she stated respectfully.

"Major Carter," he began evenly. "You'd better have a damn good excuse for assaulting your commanding officer!"

Sam swallowed nervously, looking away in though momentarily. She shifted her feet with trepidation.

"I don't think you'd believe me, sir," she explained.

"Humour me, Major!" he barked.

"Well, sir," she dragged. "He's not actually Colonel O'Neill…"

"What do you mean he's not the Colonel, Sam?" Janet quizzed, standing in Hammond's shadow.

"I'm not quite sure," Sam shrunk under the incredulous looks from her base commander and her friend. "He's been acting strangely ever since we brought him back from the planet. When I confronted him about it, he actually admitted it."

"He just blew his own cover?" Hammond questioned incredulously.

"No," Sam shook her head sharply. "I accused him of not being the Colonel when I realised how odd he'd be acting. He – whoever he is - must have decided there was no point in pretending anymore since I'd figured it out. I thought he might attack me when he tried to follow me out of the commissary, so I acted pre-emptively, sir."

"You understand, Major," the General began carefully, after a moment's pause, "that until we have some kind of verification of your account, I can't actually have you released."

"I understand, sir."

Hammond crossed back to the door, picking up the telephone hanging on the wall next to the doorframe. As soon as someone answered, he stated his orders.

"Have a security team find and secure Colonel O'Neill. Bring him down to holding cell C15. He may have been compromised by alien technology – be prepared to use force but _do not_ shoot to kill."

* * *

"Colonel O'Neill, sir!" the SF barked, weapon raised readily as he and three other security personnel stalked down the corridor. At the far end, whatever it was that now controlled Jack stared over his shoulder at the advancing soldiers, access card poised over the panel for the elevator.

"What is it, airman?" he asked in military sternness.

"General Hammond has ordered that we escort you down to the holding cells. Please, come this way, sir," the SF instructed smartly.

"The holding cells… hmm…" O'Neill feigned confusion. "Well, orders are orders."

He took just three steps back down the corridor, SFs on all sides, before he swung his right fist around to head-hook the nearest airman. The SF fell with a grunt of surprise. The Colonel balanced on one foot to twist around expertly and floor another SF with a roundhouse kick.

With a snarl of pain, he dropped his leg back down heavily, clutching miserably at his knee. The brief pause gave one of the remaining SFs the opportunity to club him from behind with the butt of a gun. Jack slumped to the concrete floor with a sharp grunt.

* * *

Teal'c was the first to notice Jack regaining consciousness, strapped securely to an infirmary bed. Expressionlessly, he stood and readied a zat. Sam, Daniel, Janet and Hammond all noticed this action and stood too, watching as Jack groggily blinked and focused on those around him.

"Whoa," he muttered, immediately noticing Teal'c with the zat right next to him. "This isn't my week…"

"Colonel?" Hammond quizzed.

"Erm… define 'the Colonel'…" he squirmed.

Hammond glanced briefly at Carter before shifting his line of sight back to the trapped form of one of his officers.

"We strongly suspect that whoever we are talking to is not Colonel Jack O'Neill. Is that correct?" he began firmly.

"OK," he sighed with resignation, "you caught me. You _are_ correct. I'm not Colonel O'Neill."

"Then who exactly are we talking to?" Janet questioned, a clipboard clutched in both hands.

"My name is Einar. I was trapped in the technology of that lab you visited. Without a physical body, the only thing I was aware of was the pulsing of the crystal on emergency power. Judging from that, I think I have been stuck there for around two centuries."

"Two hundred years?" Sam exclaimed.

He nodded grimly, "But when your friend accidentally touched the damaged wire in the lab, I suddenly became aware of his senses, knowledge, memories…"

"You invaded his mind," Teal'c stated accusingly.

"No, it wasn't like that," he exclaimed anxiously. "I was dormant for so long that when I was transferred into this body, my consciousness woke up and it was all just _there_."

"But it wasn't enough, was it?" Sam guessed, her expression cold. "You don't know everything about the Colonel, do you?"

"No," he shook his head ruefully. "I tried to gather as much information as I could – a sheer impulsive reaction from suddenly being thrust back into awareness. For all I knew at that moment, they were my own memories."

"Why were you unconscious for so long after being transferred into the Colonel's body?" Janet questioned curiously, making notes on the clipboard.

"I wasn't prepared for the whole situation. I couldn't properly comprehend what had happened at first, and therefore didn't realise I had a body to control. I began to remember my own past, before the lab, and distinguished it from Jack's memories. I hoped that once this body had recovered enough to be controlled I could use them to pass myself off as your Colonel for the time being."

His eyes focused on Carter momentarily. "I was wrong."

"Wait… Einar…" Daniel broke in, rubbing his eyes. "If you're in Jack's body now, what's happened to Jack?"

All eyes turned back to Einar in Jack's body.

"Has O'Neill's mind been erased to accommodate your own?" Teal'c interrogated.

"No, no!" he insisted vehemently, shaking his head vigorously. "Jack's mind is still in here too. He was stunned by the transfer, but not destroyed. I can sense him – as far as I can tell, his mind is, shall we say, unconscious for the moment. However, he hasn't stirred at all since the transfer, which is becoming worrying."

"The presence of two minds in one body might be what's keeping the Colonel's mind subdued," Janet offered. "Maybe only one can be aware at any given time."

"What exactly are you, Einar? Are you some kind of computer based life-form?" Daniel queried, clearly getting too fascinated.

"No, I _was _originally an organic one," he corrected with indignation. "I am an Innarim!"

"Is there any way you could be extracted from Colonel O'Neill," Hammond demanded. "By contacting your kind, perhaps?"

"There is one problem with that…" Einar confessed grimly, closing his eyes with sudden heaviness and apparent pain.

The others waited anxiously in silence.

"If my worst fears have been realised, then I am all that is left of my kind."


	4. Chapter 4: Gesture of Good Faith

_Thanks to Sway13, Sci Fi Fan Gillian, Silverstar to-Einnen, SJDM12, grayangle, and Stoko for the reviews so far! It's very encouraging, and I hope you enjoy this new chapter too!_**  
**

**Chapter 4: Gesture of Good Faith**

Sam sat back heavily in her chair, having consigned herself to her lab for hours on end, rubbing her eyes. The naquahdah reactor schematics on the computer screen in front of her just weren't holding her focus. She tried to shrug it aside as lack of sleep and/or coffee, resting her head on one hand. The Innarim technology was proving enigmatic – all of her tests and tweaks with the generator were proving frustrating futile. Sam knew there was no way she could ask Einar to help her. It wasn't just the security risk, either – she found it extremely discomforting to be around the Colonel when she _knew_ it wasn't him talking, but a complete stranger instead.

She looked up and offered a wry smile as Daniel strolled into her lab, book under one arm and carrying two cups of coffee. He handed her one and grabbed a lab stool.

"Thanks," she breathed wearily, sipping the brown liquid.

"Janet moved Jack… Einar into an isolation room; I've just been down there," he stated. "Einar said he's giving up control for now so that Jack will get his body back if he wakes up; kind of a gesture of good faith. Both of them are unconscious at the minute."

"If he wakes up…" Sam echoed impassively.

Daniel sighed and inclined his head: "Janet said she'd give it 24 hours, and then she'd try and wake up Einar's mind again. She's not sure what we're doing after that, but she said she was worried about leaving Jack's body for too long without at least one of their minds in control."

Sam gave no answer, choosing to dejectedly sip more of the coffee. _Jack's body…_ it made it sound like he was actually dead… as if they were discussing his corpse…

"What do you suppose happened to the … uh…" Sam began, trailing off.

"Innarim?" Daniel offered.

She nodded: "When he said if his worst fears have been realised…"

"I did ask him, but he didn't want to talk about it," the archaeologist shrugged helplessly. "I mentioned the Goa'uld – it seemed to hit a nerve, so I'm guessing they killed them off."

No doubt, the pair of them supposed, because they were technologically advanced and thus a threat. Some of her bitterness towards this alien was diffused when she looked at it from his point of view, imagining what it must feel like to be hunted down simply for being alive.

"How are you doing, Sam?" Daniel asked gently. "You look like you could use some rest."

"Yeah, but you know me – I don't like to let an inanimate object get the better of me," Sam gave a small smile as she gestured to the naquahdah reactor.

It was covered in various wires and additional circuits, and Daniel took a moment to take in the chaotic bundle of technology, before turning back to his friend. He shook his head knowingly as he spoke: "It's not just that, though, is it?"

"No," she let out a troubled sigh. "This whole situation doesn't exactly bring back pleasant memories, Daniel."

Not long before, Sam had been possessed and suppressed by the computer entity, and nearly erased by its influence. That along with being temporarily stored in a computer memory mainframe had disoriented her mind for some time. In addition to that, she was still suffering from long term unease from her encounter with Jolinar; even though they had long since discovered the noble intentions and beliefs of the Tok'ra, Sam had never completely shaken off the horror of being taken as a host unwillingly. Her rational side understood why Jolinar had done so – to escape an unpleasant death – but remembering the feeling of having her mind invaded and blended with that of an alien creature, to have watched helplessly as Jolinar pointed a weapon at her CO, kept waking her up in the middle of the night for weeks afterward.

Sam had dealt with such harrowing events in her own silent way, and kept it within the shell of the well-disciplined, reliable air force officer. She buried herself in work and tried to forget, confiding in Janet where necessary. Daniel wondered if she realised she was starting to do things the O'Neill way, retreating behind the tough soldier attitude.

"This can't be easy for you," he commented, squeezing her shoulder. "But remember: you got through things like this yourself, and Jack's a stubborn ass."

Sam smirked, almost reassured.

* * *

_Ah, so you're conscious at last. I feared you would never awaken._

Jack winced and let out a groan. He forced his eyes open slightly, earning a fuzzy view of the isolation room.

"Whu…" he managed.

_Don't try to move just yet, Jack. Take a moment to become orientated – you've been unconscious for several days._

"Who are you?" he grunted.

The title of Colonel was deserving of a level of respect, and Jack knew only a few non-military or superior personnel could actually call him 'Jack' at the SGC. This wake-up call was not putting the speaker on his good side. He opened his eyes further, ignoring the tinge of pain at the back of his vision from the isolation room lighting.

"_Where_ are you?" he pressed, puzzled.

There was an uncomfortable pause.

_You wouldn't believe me…_

Jack subconsciously began to take stock of himself, to check for injuries as he always did in such situations – he could not rest easy otherwise. His face ached, and his right side tingled, as if the feeling in it was faint. He was suitably surprised when he tried to lift his arms, finding them tied down.

He tested his legs, and they were the same.

He was in restraints. Weakly, Jack struggled against them, not with panic but military control and determination. Yet, he knew there was no point. They had once held down Teal'c – he had next to no chance.

Jack looked up sharply at the sound of tapping footsteps, and blinked blankly at Janet as she walked through the door and stopped short, meeting his confused gaze.

"Doc! What's goin' on?" Jack demanded carefully. "What's with the restraints?"

Janet jumped into action, hurrying to Jack's side: "Colonel?"

"Who were you expecting, Apophis? I know I'm awkward, but is that really reason enough to start tying me down when I'm in here?"

Dr Frasier smiled warmly: "Good to have you back, sir. As for the restraints… this might be hard to believe, but…"

"Uh huh," he urged impatiently.

"How much do you remember from before you woke up, Colonel?"

"We were on that planet, in some kind of alien lab. Carter and Daniel were fascinated as usual," he recounted. "Erm… I leaned against something on the way out… that's where it blacks out."

Janet wrote something down on a medical file uneasily.

"Doc?" Jack probed, frowning.

"You touched some kind of broken wire and received an electric shock, but we think that it also caused an alien entity to be transferred into your body, very similar to the way Major Carter was possessed by the computer entity."

"What!" he exclaimed, tensing up immediately.

Janet sighed nervously, and pulled around a medical computer with his vital signs on it. There were two EEG signals on the monitor, one strong, the other far fainter. Jack's eye widened, déjà vu settling in as he recalled Sam showing the same thing during that troublesome and trying situation. Jack's cynical sense of denial fought to retain control of his tumbling thoughts when that voice interrupted… synchronised with the sudden fluxing of the fainter EEG.

_I told you that you wouldn't believe it…_

* * *

"What's your report, Doctor?" Hammond questioned, seated at the head of the briefing table. 

"Well, sir, the good news is that Jack's consciousness is intact," Janet began, passing out the report files to the General and the rest of SG-1. "There is also evidence of mental activity from the Einar entity as well, so I think it's safe to assume they're both… _alive_, for lack of a better word."

"And the bad news?" Hammond pressed.

"Colonel O'Neill isn't taking the whole situation very well, sir. When I explained to him what happened, he became very agitated and tried to break out of his restraints. I had to give him a sedative to calm him down."

Daniel took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes to try and mask his discomfort, and Sam looked down at the table awkwardly. Teal'c made little outward expression.

"O'Neill has made it clear on several occasion his distaste at the idea of sharing his existence with another creature," he stated factually. "Even with the Tok'ra."

"Dr. Frasier, is there any way of removing this alien from the Colonel?" Hammond sighed, skimming over the report once more.

"Unfortunately, sir, this situation is much like that with the entity that transferred itself into Major Carter. We don't have the knowledge or the technology to do that," she admitted forlornly.

"Even if we did," Sam added, "where would we transfer Einar to? The memory mainframe that the first entity built was taken to Area 51 and was likely taken apart for study."

"And even if we built one ourselves, which I'm guessing would take time…" Daniel began.

He looked to Sam, who nodded briefly in confirmation.

"There's no way of knowing if Einar will be willing to cooperate if we try to put him back into a computer. He was trapped in that lab computer for over 200 years," he finished.

General Hammond laced his fingers together and looked down at the papers in front of him as he recalled the previous scenario with a stalemate like this. On their own, there was nothing they could do. However, this entity was not based on technology – by Einar's own admission, he was originally an organic being. At present he was completely dependent on Jack to exist – if it were otherwise, Einar would have attempted to transfer himself into something more permanent while he was still unfettered and in control.

"Since the SGC is not under quarantine this time, we will contact the Tok'ra and the Asgard to ask for their assistance," he concluded. "For now, Doctor, keep and eye on Jack. Dr. Jackson, Major Carter, you both continue looking through what we know about the Innarim. Dismissed."


	5. Chapter 5: Einherjar of Hakon

_Thanks again to the people who have reviewed! I'm glad you're liking the story, and I hope you enjoy where I eventually intend to lead it. And my apologies to Silverstar to-Ennien for the mis-spelling your name._

Note: to avoid confusion, any dialogue not in speech marks is unspoken talk between Jack and Einar. Jack is **_bold and italic_** while Einar is just _italic_.  
**  
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**Chapter 5 – Einherjar of Hakon**

"We've sent a message requesting assistance to both the Tok'ra base and the Asgard, sir," Sam informed the General as she stood smartly before his desk. "There was no immediate reply to either; it may be a while before either of them send a response."

"Thank you, Major," Hammond replied formally. "Is there any further word on Colonel O'Neill?"

Sam couldn't help but feel uncomfortable at the implied assumption that she had been down to see Jack regularly, and not simply as concern for a commander. She shook her head in what she hoped was a professional way, "Not yet sir."

"Very well," the older man sighed. "Be sure to tell Dr Frasier to keep me informed, Major."

* * *

Jack dragged himself back into consciousness, groggy from sedative. Through the muddled haze of his vision, he took in the isolation room, the restraints and the aggravated squiggles that displayed the twinned EEGs on the medical equipment. He groaned as he realised this wasn't just an unpleasant dream or hallucination. Through the dull aching in his head, he felt as if _something_ was watching his every move from behind his own eyes.

"OK," he stated out loud, closing his eyes. "I'm staying calm this time."

_Good._

"Not gonna panic…"

_Thank you._

"Nice and cold and calculated."

The entity hesitated in replying – Jack wasn't sure how, but the pause felt very condescending. It wasn't a hidden sensation either; he was fully intended to sense that.

_You know, I don't think you have to speak out loud. We're both on the inside._

_**Is this better, smartass?**_

Jack made sure to add an irritated snap to his inward retort, bitterly hoping the alien would catch it. It worked.

_Yes, but there's no need to take that attitude. This is awkward for me as well – I've never been trapped inside someone else before._

_**So, who are you when you're not invading other people's lives?**_

_My name is Einar. I already know you are Jack O'Neill…_

The Einar entity trailed off, and if he could be seen, Jack imagined he would be frowning unhappily judging from the bristling, demanding question that was thrown at his own mind.

_What does that mean… 'invading other people's lives'!_

_**You sneaked into my head! In my book, that makes you no different from those damn Goa'uld!**_

Almost immediately, he felt a searing lance of anger rip through him. It was frightening – it was detached in that he knew the feeling was not coming from him. He was angry, but not as intensely as the actual sensation burning through his mind. However, this enraged response was spilling over into Jack's own consciousness, and his body reflexively reacted to it – his fists clenched in their restraints, his limbs trembled and he nearly snarled.

_NEVER compare me to the Goa'uld! My kind did not spend centuries fighting those vile reptiles only be to be spoken of in the same breath as them!_

Jack felt Einar's presence in his head looming over his own threateningly. Disoriented and overcome with dizzying nausea, he coughed and gagged.

_**Alright, OK! I'm sorry…**_

_Regardless of your sentiments, Jack, this was not intentional. I want to find a way to help you. Now, if you're ready to listen…_

_**Fire away.**_

_I want to try something. You keep your eyes closed and concentrate._

_**Wait! Why? What are you doing?**_

There was another of those pauses, this once laced with irritation.

_Are all humans this awkward? Just be quiet!_

Before Jack could spit back a retort of indignation at being talked to in such a disrespectful way in his own head, there was a rush of scenes sloshing into his mind. Within a single moment, unfamiliar memories of several days were lodged in his consciousness. Carter talking science at him as she worked in her lab and again as he finished off half a bowl of blue Jell-O; her barely contained horror as his own voice denied being himself; he finally understood the ache in the side of his face as the stark recollection of peering around a corner, only to see Sam's fist rushing up to meet him.

_**What was all THAT?**_

_So you saw them? Then it worked. Those are my memories from several days ago, when your mind was still unconscious. They all thought I was still you. Not for long though._

Einar once again prompted the memory of being attacked by his second-in-command. In a light-hearted moment, the human and the alien shared a dry chuckle.

_Say what you wish about Major Carter, but she can pack a punch._

_**I believe you. But does this mean we share memories and information?**_

_Yes, as long as you are actively willing for the information to be shared, from what I could tell from trying just now. I know some information about you as your mind was unguarded as I was first transferred to you, but just basic knowledge like your name, your rank, your job, your colleagues…Do not worry though; now we are both controlled and composed that cannot happen to either of us._

_**Great, some privacy. So what do we do now? Stay tied to this medical bed?**_

_Hmm…_

* * *

"Dr. Frasier, what is there to report," General Hammond quizzed hopefully.

She had asked for him to come to the isolation room and her voice was not filled with dread on the internal phone, so he assumed it was not more bad news. Jack was still tied down, but was aware and alert.

"Sir," Jack smiled. "I'd stand to attention but…"

"So I'm talking to Colonel O'Neill, correct," Hammond demanded authoritatively.

"Fairly certain, General," Janet confirmed, pointing to the first of the EEG readings on the computer screen by the bed. "I managed to isolate the Colonel's EEG signal the first time he was in control after regaining consciousness. At the minute, Colonel O'Neill's is the stronger of the two signals, meaning he is the controlling mind at present."

"Sir," Jack began, "I know we don't have any reason to trust this alien, but he says he's not going to try and take control of me again. He claims he doesn't know how to anyway, since this is as new to him as it is to me."

"Can you be sure he's being honest?" Janet probed cautiously.

"No, and I'm usually the first person to be Mr. Cynical, but he could have not given me control back at all," Jack reasoned. "He tells me that if we can find any survivors on his homeworld, they might know what to do."

"Colonel, I can't let you leave this facility when you are under an alien influence!" Hammond exclaimed. "There is no guarantee that he won't take you over when he's back on his own planet."

"Then send the rest of SG-1 with me. Carter can have command while Einar's in my head."

The fainter of the two EEGs displayed next to the Colonel and the Doctor fluxed about for a few moments, and Jack looked down and smirked.

"What was that?" Hammond quizzed to Jack and Janet, pointing to the EEG monitor incredulously.

"Mental activity from the Einar entity, sir," Janet explained.

"He said that I'm irritating and he wants to get out of my head as much as I want to get rid of him," the Colonel recounted, with a wry smile. "Look, General, _we_ can't get him out of me – it's worth a shot, right?"

* * *

It was the following day when SG-1 found themselves gating to a planet after receiving a previously unrecorded gate address to use from Jack, scrawled on a piece of note paper. The MALP had simply shown an area of grassy hills with the snow-smothered peaks of a mountain range beyond them. Hammond, satisfied it was safe enough, allowed Carter to lead the team through.

Jack didn't fail to notice, as he lead his three team-mates on the several mile trek from the gate to the city, that the others were unusually silent and tense. Teal'c was mostly silent anyway, he conceded, but the Jaffa kept a close eye on him and had a zat constantly in his palm, no doubt in case Einar _was_ trying to trick them.

Daniel had asked a few questions about Einar's world, which the alien had proudly declared was called 'Hakon'. How long had the Innarim been there? Were they very similar to other Norse-based cultures like the Asgard or the Cimmerians? Did they have any historical records he could look out for? Jack had silenced him with an annoyed glare, and he hadn't dared to ask further where he usually risked Jack's wrath by pushing further.

Sam had clearly been feeling awkward at giving orders to the team in front of the Colonel, even simple ones to move out and keep their eyes open on their mission. However, much to Jack's relief, she took it in her stride and stayed professional. Yet, all of them chose to say little even to each other. There was no prize for guessing why either.

He wasn't just _him_ anymore. It was uncomfortable for them too.

_Sorry._

_**Ah, they'll be fine soon, I think. We're still not used to this kind of thing.**_

It was merely an hour before Jack felt a sudden anxiousness. There was a steep hill right ahead, and he jogged ahead to clamber up the green slope. He reached the top and stopped short.

Below was a ruined wasteland.

It was a rocky valley, littered with blacked husks of buildings, collapsing towers, crumpled beams, twisted metal and crumbling stone. Skeletal remains carpeted the streets and roads winding among the ruined buildings. The hollow voice of the wind whistled through the silence as Jack felt his body begin to feel icy. Detached despair – somehow it was more haunting to feel that sorrow so close but know it wasn't your own.

The others soon followed, and stood by him in stunned silence.

Minutes passed.

Jack swallowed in emotion and shuddered helplessly. He felt a strong hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Daniel watching him with deep concern.

"Jack, you OK?"

He just nodded mutely, and the four of them began to pick their way through the forgotten city.

* * *

"There were many Jaffa remains among the bodies, GeneralHammond," Teal'c stated. "They greatly outnumbered the inhabitants of Hakon. Many were still holding their weapons."

It was hours later, back in the SGC, and SG-1 was seated with Hammond around the briefing table.

"Einherjar…" Jack muttered.

"Colonel?" Hammond frowned.

"Uhm… nothing, sir," he dismissed it blankly.

He turned back to the rest of the team. Daniel took the wordless cue to begin his own report.

"We found several written reports in the city. They seem to be from during the actual attack from whatever Goa'uld destroyed the civilisation. Einar translated them for Jack while we were there. They state that all of the other cities on Hakon were attack almost simultaneously to this one, and this one was the last to fall."

"So there were no survivors?" Hammond pressed.

"No, sir," Sam confirmed. "If anyone did escape the attack, they've long since moved on from the planet. We couldn't find any trace of possible technology to reverse this transfer process either."

Abruptly, Jack stood and hastily retreated from the room. Hammond stood and made to shout after him sternly, but Daniel interrupted him respectfully.

"General, don't... Einar's in his head too, and we've just been picking through the remains of his homeworld first-hand."

Sighing in sympathy at Daniel's observation, he nodded slowly and dismissed the rest of them.

Sam grabbed Daniel's sleeve as they hurried out of the briefing room: "Daniel, what does 'Einherjar' mean?"

"It was a Norse name for those who had died bravely in battle… that might have been Einar talking…"

* * *

It had taken a few minutes to track down Colonel O'Neill by asking SFs and wandering personnel which way he had gone. Daniel had called the infirmary to summon Janet while Sam traced her CO to a small storage area of the base. One door was sitting slightly open, and she cautiously pushed it open and stepped inside, glancing back briefly to see Daniel and Janet jogging down the corridor to join her and Teal'c.

Sam barely recognised Jack in the dark, buried into a corner of the storeroom, legs drawn up to his chest and head bowed. One hand was covering his face. Sam took a moment to glance at Janet, Daniel and Teal'c hovering by the door, keeping a respectful distance. Janet in particular was struggling to contain the doctor's urge to help someone in distress. Sam looked back to the Colonel, inching closer cautiously.

"Colonel?"

His head shifted slightly, and she caught the glimmer of reflected light as he peered at her through his fingers.

"What are you doing?"

He let out a shuddering breath, turning away once more. Sam's eyes began to grow accustomed to the darkness in the room, and she swore she could now see the moisture on his face…

"I didn't want anyone to see me like this," he admitted, his voice small and tinged with shame.

"What is it?" she whispered, aware of the others nearby, crouching a few feet from him. "Is it to do with the planet?"

Jack nodded. Unable to watch him like that any longer, she abandoned military caution and moved to sit right next to him, back planted against the wall.

"If either of you want to talk about it…" she offered gently.

"Einar doesn't really feel like talking to anyone," Jack explained, moving his hand to scrub his eyes.

"If it's Einar, what's shaken you up, sir?"

"I don't know why, but I can feel what he does…" Jack struggled. "It's confusing the hell outta me."

"Sounds a bit like the Tok'ra… sharing emotions…" she commented quietly. "So, do _you_ want to tell me anything?"

"Einar says I can talk for him," he nodded.

He took another shuddering deep breath before stating with an empty blankness:

"He knew they were dead."

There was a pause, a moment of drawn silence.

"I mean, they all are, aren't they… a long time ago… centuries…Einar wasn't there when the Goa'uld attacked Hakon. He was off-world. Some of the other Innarim who escaped told him about it later; others who he feels sure would have been hunted down not long afterward."

Jack stopped to wipe his eyes again.

"He knew what the attacks meant – that the Goa'uld were wiping them out simply for being a threat, that most of his kind were dead… but it never really sunk in… until he actually went there and saw it for himself. I felt it too, Carter…"

"Sir?"

She had noticed the plunge into deeper despair his tone was taking.

"It made it feel like it happened yesterday…"

All talk broke off there. Jack's hands went back up to his face, and his shoulders shook as he struggled vainly to compose himself. Sam winced, hating seeing him like this. Tentatively, she reached across his shoulders and placed one arm over them. He desolately leant into her, accepting her embrace, no resistance or words used. Her other arm was wrapped around him.

So many times, Jack had not hesitated to give her a hug of comfort, regulations and rumours ignored. Even Daniel had received one at one of his lowest, most despairing moments of sarcophagus withdrawal. Jack was the leader – he looked after his team.

Sam was glad, after so long, that she was finally able to repay the favour.


	6. Chapter 6: Conflict Despite Intention

_Thanks again for the reviews. They're very encouraging! As for Stoko's suggestion of a Tollan-esque device like the one used on Skaara/Klorel, I was intending on having a way of telling them apart at some point, but your idea is better than what I had planned - would it be OK for me to keep the suggestion in mind for later?_

**Chapter 6 – Conflict Despite Intention**

"Ah, great," Jack commented grimly. "Back to the infirmary."

The rest of his team followed him inside, while Dr. Frasier was leading the way. He glanced back to see two SFs standing by the doorway – no surprise there. Hammond might know him very well and have a stronger working relationship with the commander of his flagship team, but for these situations regulations ruled. Jack reminded himself grimly that it wasn't just base security that the regulations dictated, as he let his eyes cross Sam in turning back to face Janet.

_I felt that. What are you glowering about?_

_**Never mind, Einar.**_

_Oh come now, Jack, it must have been something._

_**Einar! Forget about it.**_

Einar made no verbal reply, choosing to stay smugly silent in the new knowledge of something to ask him about later. Though the alien had been initially tentative, he had quickly gained the confidence to begin asking questions – about Jack, his team, the SGC, Earth… granted, some answers were classified and Einar gave surprisingly little resistance about that, but he knew little about human culture and so decided to ask questions whenever Jack acted or felt certain ways.

Despite the extremely invasive and unusual nature of his situation, Jack kept forgetting that Einar was there. Being human, he had lived his entire life alone in the privacy of his own mind. He thought it must be easier for Einar to keep the situation in mind, as the trapped alien was experiencing feelings and actions in a completely new body which he was not currently controlling. Surely it would be hard to forget?

Part of his own forgetfulness was probably in no small part to Einar's very low key attitude back there is his head. He only really asked a few questions and observed. If he concentrated, Jack could tell whether Einar's presence was active, watching through his eyes, or dormant in some kind of mental sleep. Aside from that, he seemed to be avoiding being a nuisance.

A sudden question running through his head at seemingly random times jerked him back to the reality of the whole crisis, and he found it a strange mix of irritation and disturbed surprise. Einar was starting to remind him of Daniel with his attentive curiosity and questioning, but the mission to Hakon had really displayed the implications of the emotional link between the two of them; they could both guard their knowledge, but they could not hide their feelings. Jack had felt Einar's anger, anxiousness and despair, while Einar had picked up on a host of Jack's everyday sentiments - respect, fondness, boredom, irritation, wry sarcasm… the latter appeared to be of great interest and amusement to the curious alien.

Janet motioned for Jack to sit, and he resignedly complied to let Janet examine his arm.

"Any pain, Colonel?"

"Nope," he declared, "just a bit of an ache. I've been worse."

"Then you're healing just fine," Janet smiled. "It could have been a lot worse, sir. I suppose that's an upside to you being stubborn."

Jack smirked, and made to stand back up and leave. Janet stopped him and fixed him with a firm, no-nonsense gaze.

"Sorry, Colonel, but your under both doctor's and General's orders to stay in the infirmary."

"Doctor's?" he echoed incredulously. "But I'm fine, Doc! I can understand Hammond wanting to keep me in one place under guard, but -"

"In light of your condition with the Einar entity, I've recommended that you should stay here so your neurological state can be monitored. Just in case something unexpected happens."

Jack grumbled, but sat back down as Janet wandered to retrieve her clipboard from a trolley further down the room. The others took this as a cue to leave, giving short, informal farewells. Sam lingered, cautiously watching him as he swung his legs up onto the bed and settled in for a day of boredom. He didn't seem to notice. She turned to leave.

Jack's hand gently grasped her elbow, halting her retreat: "Carter… thanks for before… from both of us."

"It's no problem, sir," she smiled warmly, and as he realised what he was doing, he shifted uncomfortably and drew his hand away. "See you tomorrow."

_So it's something to do with Major Carter, then?_

Jack frowned, watching Sam leave.

_**Shut up.**_

_**

* * *

**_

Deep into the early hours of the morning, Daniel had made his way down to the infirmary ward, rubbing his eyes and yawning. He found Jack asleep, and one of the technicians further down the ward was having his hand bandaged by a nurse, but there was no sign of Janet anywhere. The archaeologist spotted a shaft of light from under the door of her office, and assumed she was there, keeping close to her patients.

He padded carefully to the medical bed, and gentle tapped Jack's shoulder: "Jack?"

The man's eyes blinked open, and he sat up abruptly. He held Daniel's gaze for a few silent moments, before looking at his hands and flexing the fingers, almost experimentally.

"Uhm… Dr. Jackson, yes?"

"Einar?" Daniel guessed.

The alien nodded.

"I thought you were giving Jack control?" he stated guardedly.

"So did I," Einar admitted ruefully. "Why isn't he?"

"Is he awake in there?" Daniel probed, his curiosity peaking.

Einar paused and looked pensive, before shaking his head. Daniel sat down, placing the notebook he carried down on a table. The alien controlling Jack's body pondered something silently, running a hand through the steel grey hair on his head.

"Interesting…"

"What is?" Daniel questioned carefully.

"Jack was very bored and I wished for something to take my mind off…"

Einar paused and looked down solemnly. Daniel grasped his shoulder after only a brief moment of hesitation.

"We tried out a few things, to discover more about this sharing situation," Einar continued. "I know nothing about it either, you see. It may interest you – you do study people and communications, yes?"

"Of course," Daniel nodded enthusiastically. "You… go ahead."

"We already know that we share feelings… emotions… as they occur. It seems to be stronger for the mind experiencing it – the other can detect a fainter version of it but even that can be intense. We can't read each other's minds, however. Knowledge can only be shared if the owner of it is actively willing for it to be known."

"Really? Odd that it's only one and not the other as well," Daniel's mind drifted to thoughts of Goa'uld and Tok'ra.

"True. Today, we experimented with control. Jack wasn't too happy about the suggestion, but he conceded that it was best to know what can and can't be done."

"And what did you find out?"

"Jack seems to have priority. I couldn't take control from him, no matter how much effort I put into it. I could only get control when Jack let me. On the other hand, Jack found it fairly easy to wrest control back from me."

"So, how can you be in control now?" Daniel raised his eyebrows warily.

"It must be because Jack's mind is asleep and so he cannot prevent me from gaining control. I'll have to let him know about this…" Einar made a mental note. "Did you want to speak to him? I could try and wake him for you."

"No, actually it was you I wanted to see," Daniel grabbed his notebook and flipped through the pages of symbols and scribbles, holding it out at the required section and pointing to one of the Norse runes. "What does this symbol mean? I can't seem to place it, even with reverences to languages from around ancient Scandinavia."

Einar looked at the rune, sitting right next to several bold question marks in pencil, and immediately looked back to Daniel: "To design, or to organise… I think."

"Isn't this your language?" Daniel frowned suspiciously at him.

"Yes, but I only learned your language several days ago by briefly looking into Jack's unguarded mind when he was being electrocuted. Hardly the basis for perfect translation," Einar pointed out factually.

Daniel rubbed his eyes, and nodded: "Of course… why didn't I realise that?"

"You look as if you need some rest yourself," Einar grinned. "Unless there's something else?"

"You could check some of these other runes for me…"

It took only a few minutes for Einar to confirm or correct the rough translations of two dozen other runes of which Daniel had been doubtful. The archaeologist thanked him and said his farewells, an idea forming in his mind.

* * *

"O'Neill."

Jack ceased his idle play with the yo-yo he had requested to stave off complete boredom and insanity (having long since finished off all outstanding paperwork in his ample spare time). Teal'c had entered and was marching towards him. Jack thought he looked more stern than usual, if that was possible. He liked to think he'd become very proficient at reading the almost unreadable Jaffa.

"Hey, T. What's up?" he greeted amiably.

"General Hammond has called a briefing to assess a suggestion made by both MajorCarter and DanielJackson. I have been sent to escort you to the briefing room."

It was then he noticed the zat tucked into Teal'c's belt. No chances were being taken – it explained his friend's slightly more formal and strict demeanour.

"Ah," was all Jack could manage.

* * *

Hammond scanned over the SGC-headed paper, a printout of Daniel and Sam's proposal outlined on it. Across the table, Jack was regarding the paper with similar surprise and distaste.

"Are you two seriously suggesting we actively sanction an alien entity to have control of an Air Force Officer!"

"General, with the information we both have, we're not making much progress. Einar has first hand knowledge of both the language and the technology we're dealing with," Daniel pleaded.

"I'm hitting dead ends with the reactor, sir," Sam admitted. "I only have half an idea of how the technology is put together."

Hammond fixed the pair with a withering, disbelieving gaze.

"For all we know, he could attempt to sabotage the reactor, Major. It is just far too dangerous to have this entity in control of Colonel O'Neill."

"I concur with GeneralHammond," Teal'c declared. "There is too great a security risk."

Jack waved his hand in the direction of the General and Teal'c: "Thank you! There is no way I'm letting this thing take me over."

'_Thing'? I resent that._

_**Quiet!**_

"Jack, he hasn't given us any reason to not trust him, has he?" Daniel reasoned.

"Daniel," Jack warned in a threatening tone. "That's not the point…"

"Jack, just listen! If you want to get Einar out of your head as soon as possible, we're going to need his help," the archaeologist snapped.

"Then you can ask him through me," Jack retorted lowly.

Sam winced, and leaned past Daniel to raise an eyebrow ay her CO: "Do you really want to be stuck in the middle of discussions about naquahdah reactors and Norse runes, sir?"

"Not really," he stated, defeatist.

"Major, exactly how much difference will it make?" Hammond sighed.

"General, anything he can tell us will be a big help," Sam appealed. "And it'll be much easier if we can talk to Einar directly."

The General paused thoughtfully, tapping his fingers on the file. As much as Jack seemed to hate the idea, he knew that deep down he must prefer it to being stuck in the mountain with Einar in his head, unable to go offworld, or even home to his cabin.

"I can accept the proposal on the condition that it is for a limited amount of time per day, and Colonel O'Neill is kept under guard whenever Einar is in control of him."

Jack glowered at his team as he was ordered to relinquish control for three hours per day: Sam and Daniel for coming up with the scheme, and Teal'c for making no further protests on his behalf.

_Your companions are correct, Jack. I could really help._

_**This had better be worth it.**_


	7. Chapter 7: Bitterness of Wills

_Once again, thanks for the reviews - lets me know people actually read and like the story so far. My apologies for the lack of action so far, but don't worry: there's stuff planned.I just really need to explore how the characters would react first. Let me know what you think of this new chapter!_

**Chapter 7 – Bitterness of Wills**

Sam barely noticed Jack walk into her lab, so engrossed in the wiring of the modifications hooked up to the reactor. He peered around the corner of the generator curiously, and Sam glanced back from behind her safety goggles.

"Sir," she greeted, standing up straight.

"Actually, it's Einar," he smiled. "Daniel's had his one and a half hours worth of time from me today. That means I have to help you out, according to your General."

"Oh, nice to meet you," she held out her hand. "Well, properly this time, at least."

Einar took it and shook it informally.

"By the way," Sam added, reddening slightly. "Sorry about the… uhm…"

She gestured to his jaw awkwardly, and he smirked dismissively after a moment of realisation: "Oh, don't worry. You know, you'd be surprised how often that used to happen to me."

"Not popular?" she ventured playfully, letting go of his hand.

"It's… well, a long story," he conceded. "Jack doesn't seem to like me though. He resents me for this, despite the fact he insists he knows it isn't my fault."

"This type of thing makes humans nervous," Sam explained. "So what do you make of Jack?"

Einar sighed thoughtfully. "He's wilful and straightforward. Short-attention span, though. His mind fell asleep ten minutes into helping out Daniel."

Sam smirked.

"Never mind," Einar waved his hand, turning focused. "So what do we need to do with this generator?"

"Well, I've been trying to create an interface between the two kinds of electronics. The idea was to use it as an alternative power source, and hope that it'll bypass the crystals complete since they were drained."

"Hmm… interesting approach," Einar commented, toying with the wires snaking across the lab desk. "Unfortunately, the design of the Hakon technology ensures the silisium circuits and the kurstallis are inescapably hardwired to each other…"

"Wait," Sam held up her hand. "What are silisium and kurstallis?"

"Uhm… I think we have different terminology," Einar realised. "OK, we'd better go through the basics of how the technology is built. I'm no expert, though."

"You don't know about your own technology?" Sam accused disbelievingly.

"Well, some of it," he admitted. "Hey, do _all_ humans know exactly how _all_ of their technology works?"

"Point taken," Sam sighed apologetically.

"Don't worry, Major," Einar reassured with a tone of optimism. "I'll piece it together, I imagine."

He picked up a marker pen from her desk, and began to sketch diagrams and notes onto her whiteboard: "OK, from the beginning… the technology is comprised of two separate section – the electronics section that uses silisium, which is like silicon, and the crystals, called kurstallis…"

Sam sat on one of the lab stools and listened, lost in the surreal moment as what looked like her CO explained something to _her_ for a change.

* * *

After several days, Sam and Daniel had really noticed progress. Einar had taught Daniel most of the grammar and obscure runes of his language, leaving him with the basis of all he needed to finish translating the runes from the lab console. This left him spending far more time in Carter's lab, both of them slowly puzzling through the reactor interface by figuring out the finer points of the alien system.

The pair of them sat in the commissary, Daniel with a book on Norse mythology and Sam with several plans of silisium circuits.

"Careful you don't get any sauce on those," Daniel warned, pointing to Sam's work with his fork.

"So how are things going with the text?" Sam quizzed.

"Great," he replied. "Having Einar around to actually tell me what everything means and how his language is put together… it's amazing how much time this has saved. I might not have been able to figure out some of the advanced runes at all. What about with the reactor?"

"Slower than I'd hoped – I think he knows his language better than his technology. He sometimes starts writing down notes in runes; I have to keep reminding him not to. Anyway," she continued, "he's been explaining how the whole crystal/circuit system is designed and constructed so we can both try and figure out how to get the damn thing to interface properly. It's incredible, they way they twinned two different kinds of technology like this."

"What about think about Einar?" Daniel probed, closing his book.

Sam put down her fork: "Very friendly. Very enthusiastic too. It's great to have someone there in the lab that you can brainstorm ideas with. What about you?"

"He's curious, but he's easy to get along with. He hasn't complained either. I think he really does want to help – this is all a completely new experience for him."

"It's a good job you gave him the benefit of the doubt, or we'd be getting nowhere," Sam commented.

Sam shifted uncomfortably in the sudden silence that followed, plucking up her courage as Daniel prodded the remains of his food with his fork.

"Do you find it a bit… awkward?"

"Awkward, how?" Daniel frowned.

"Well, it's just so strange… seeing Jack so enthusiastic and open…"

"I do sorta feel like my door is a quantum mirror when I walk through and see him sitting there with his head in a book on ancient languages," the archaeologist admitted, "but its not actually Jack, we both know that."

"It's easy to forget."

Daniel gazed at her pensively, forgetting his food entirely.

"Is it really bothering you?"

"In a way," she sighed. "I subconsciously felt happy that the Colonel was spending more time with us outside missions and briefings – you know, good for the team – but then I get reminded that it's not actually Colonel O'Neill. Lately, whenever I see him when he's back in control, he's in one of those moods."

"Annoyed at everything?"

Sam nodded in confirmation. Daniel patted her hand gently.

"Don't worry, Sam. Once we figure all of this out and get him back to normal, he'll be fine."

* * *

Being allowed to escape from the infirmary in favour of his base quarters should have improved Jack's mood. However, as he tossed from side to side under the thin blanket, his grimness remained. There was little chance of him getting to sleep.

_What's bothering you now? And no saying 'it's a human thing' again._

_**Mind your own business, smartass!**_

_Is this about me again?_

_**Trying to sleep. Quiet.**_

_So am I! I can't if you continue to seethe like this under the surface. If this is _again_ about us being stuck in your head together, can we settle it once and for all?_

Jack grunted, pushing the blanket off himself and sitting up, resting his hands on his knees. There was no real need to do so for a conversation solely inside of his head, but somehow it felt more appropriate. He sighed as Einar continued.

_Now, for the last time. I. Am. Trying. To. Help._

_**I know.**_

_Daniel should have few problems translating any further runes we find…_

_**I know!**_

… _and Sam and I are close to a solution. The simulations will be simple if nothing goes wrong .We just need to work on the generator for a few more days in the lab and add some new components._

**_Oh, and I bet you _love_ that, don't you?_**

_Well, it is interesting; I've never worked-"_

_**I didn't mean that.**_

_Then what…_

Jack crossed his arms and waited as the alien trailed off, absorbing the conversation so far and delving for comprehension. There was a faint flicker of surprised realisation, but Jack remained grim-faced.

_**Yes, Daniel and Carter, smartass.** **I'm not blind, and I'm not asleep the entire time you're around them! They PREFER working with you!**_

Einar digested the mental outburst, and if he had his own body, would have inclined his head and frowned.

_You're not seriously _jealous_, are you?_

Jack growled, lying back down and covering his head with his pillow in a vain attempt to hide from the situation.

_What did you hope to achieve by doing that? Uh, never mind. Look, Jack, you don't have to worry about being ousted from your team. I don't plan on staying here on your planet once this is over! I'll just be an odd memory of an odd alien, who helped with some runes and modified a generator._

_**What if they ask you to stay?**_

_Then I would refuse._

_**Just like that?**_

_I'm not being trapped in a mountain forever. I've had enough of being imprisoned for a lifetime, and it would be no different here. Now, if your friends really didn't want you around, why would they be endeavouring so fervently to help you? I begin to doubt whether either of those two actually sleep!_

Jack managed a wry smile at the shared sentiment.

_I could have easily denied any knowledge of how to modify the generator at all, if I truly intended to stay here. If these are all the actions of a conspiracy against you, it is a badly planned one, yes?_

_**Very.**_

_Now, I'm confident that there is a solution to be found, but it is going to take some more time. Can we _attempt_ to tolerate each other for the time being?_

_**Alright, but I'm laying some ground rules. No more calling me 'Jack' – the name's O'Neill, two 'l's if you're writing it down.**_

_As you wish. No further calling me 'smartass' – it's antagonising._

_**Deal. Don't bug me about personal stuff – when I say 'no, mind your own business', I mean it.**_

_Very well. Sleep?_

_**Please.**_

Jack uncovered his head from the pillow, punched it back into a comfortable shape and snuggled into it, breathing in relaxation.

The claxon blared.

The 'unauthorised offworld activation' message echoed through the corridors, and Jack pulled the pillow over his head once more, groaning.

One minute passed.

"SG-1, report to the gate-room, I repeat, SG-1 to the gate room."

_**Damn **Damn_


	8. Chapter 8: When in Rome

_Finally got around to putting in some SJ angst nearer the end of this chapter. Not much but it's a start! Review to let me know what you think!_**  
**

**Chapter 8 – When in Rome…**

Jack strolled purposefully along the corridors of sub-level 28, followed by SFs. The blast door to the gate room was open and he could see Hammond with the rest of the team, along with Jacob Carter in mid-hug with his daughter.

"Colonel, good to see you," the Tok'ra greeted. "We received your message asking for assistance."

"We have a situation regarding Colonel O'Neill – we were hoping you might have some kind of solution to help us out," Hammond ordered, gesturing from them follow him.

Hammond got straight to the point once everyone was seated around the briefing table.

"Colonel O'Neill has unfortunately become host to an alien mind, who calls himself Einar. It appears to be a similar situation to the one Major Carter suffered with the computer entity."

"You don't have any way of removing him, right?" Jacob confirmed.

General Hammond nodded.

"Since it's possible for symbiotes to be removed from a host safely, I'm sure there is a way," Jacob assured.

"One of our problems is that Einar isn't completely the same as a symbiote, Dad," Sam explained. "He doesn't have any physical aspect – the only thing Colonel O'Neill has is Einar's mind. He's not parasitic by nature."

"Then it'll be more difficult to determine if we can help," Jacob admitted. "What kind of alien are we dealing with here, do you know?"

"His race was called the 'Innarim': some kind of Norse-based culture," Daniel supplied.

Jacob lowered his head, and his eyes flashed white as Selmac took over, shaking his head and frowning: "The Innarim are just a legend, surely?"

At the sound of the distorted voice of the symbiote, Jack jumped upright, knocking over his chair and stumbling backwards into a defensive stance, wide eyes fixed on Jacob. Teal'c stood as well, confused by his commander's behaviour. Everyone stared at him as he waited in tension.

"Colonel, what's gotten into you?" Hammond demanded.

"Jack," Daniel jumped in. "Tell him about the Tok'ra; I don't think he realises."

It took half a minute of silence before Jack relaxed and picked up his chair.

"Einar says he thought the Tok'ra were just a legend, too. So, when he heard Selmac's voice…" Jack trailed off, knowing they all understood.

"The legends claimed the Innarim were great-warriors; god-killers."

Daniel nodded to the Tok'ra: "Apparently, the Innarim made themselves enough of a nuisance to the Goa'uld. Their home planet, Hakon, was destroyed."

"If they were truly powerful warriors, then it would be beneficial to suggest an alliance to any Innarim survivors," Selmac reasoned.

"As far as we can tell, Einar is the only survivor of the Innarim," Sam cut in, her voice solemn, remembering Einar's severe emotional reaction that overflowed into Jack.

"Then he has the deepest sympathy of the Tok'ra," Selmac bowed.

Jack nodded in acknowledgment on Einar's behalf.

"Maybe you can still help us out," Sam began, retrieving one of the kurstallis crystals from a container on the table. "We may have a way of accessing a database from the lab where we found Einar, but in order to power it we need more crystals like these ones."

"We have seen these before," Selmac claimed, examining the damaged crystal in the box. "The Tok'ra have found no current use for them – we should be happy to provide you with some, on the condition that you share with us your knowledge of the Innarim once you find this database."

"Of course," Hammond nodded.

Hours later, Jacob had returned, carrying a simple Tok'ra container. Jack met him at the bottom of the Stargate ramp.

"These crystals are the best ones we currently have in our possession. I hope they can help you," Jacob held the box out to Jack, who took it carefully. "I'm afraid I have to head back to the Tok'ra base immediately."

Hammond nodded at him, and ordered the technicians to dial back. Before long, the wormhole appeared in a swoosh. Jack shook Jacob's hand.

"Einar wants to you to pass on a message to the Tok'ra for him," Jack stated.

"Of course."

"Thank you," he said, very simply, "Destroyers of Anil."

Jacob frowned, but it quickly changed to realisation and he bowed his head. With that, he headed up the ramp and through the active gate.

_**What the hell did that mean?**_

_I'll explain some other time. Back to the lab?_

_**After we get some sleep.**_

_**

* * *

**_

Einar grinned ridiculously as he pulled a heavy duty mask over his face and picked up a blow torch. Sam stepped back cautiously, keeping safely out of range.

"Now, we just need to attach these new crystals, and it should be finished," Einar declared, clamping down the loose wires so they couldn't slip off the table, his voice muffled by the mask.

"Have you…" Sam began, "have you ever tried to connect a new power source before?"

He paused, lowering his arms pensively, and Sam could see him blink a few times in hesitation behind the mask.

"Er… just once before," he admitted carefully.

"Did that generator work?"

Einar inclined his head awkwardly: "Not really… it blew up."

Sam stiffened, backing further into the wall.

"But don't worry!" he declared hastily, firing up the blow torch and shouting over the noise. "I'm almost certain I know why it went wrong."

Still unconvinced, she grabbed the second safety mask and gloves, shifting closer to the door. Einar, for all his casual openness, could work single-mindedly – for five minutes straight, he hunched over one of the kurstallis crystals provided by the Tok'ra and welded each of the wires onto its surface. It was an odd sight – the blue flame of the torch flared brilliant white as it touched the crystal, making the room dazzlingly bright. At one point, the security room had called down on the internal base phone line to check what was happening – the light had been interfering with the exposure of the cameras.

With sudden urgency, Einar stopped, switched off the blow torch and backed away quickly. The light died quickly, but the crystal still glowed. Like in the alien lab, it pulsed with an icy blue radiance and hummed faintly. Einar slammed his palm on the light switch and ushered Sam out into the corridor without even turning around, eyes fixed on the glowing crystal now throwing blue light across Sam's darkened lab. The two SFs posted outside the lab nervously moved away from the door at the almost comical sight of two safety-masked and glove-donning officers hurried into the corridor. They gripped their weapons tightly.

"What is it? Do we need to clear this level?"

"Is there a problem, Major?"

"I'm not sure. Is there, Einar?" she turned to the alien in control.

"We did earth the connection, didn't we?" he probed with uncertainty.

"Yes."

"Then we should be fine. The stored energy should slowly drain with the light off."

"Stored energy? Are you saying the crystals absorbed the thermal energy from the torch?"

"Yes, they can absorb it from lots of sources – thermal, solar, chemical, electric… I just didn't want to overload these new crystals straight away since it might have discharged through the generator."

It took only fifteen minutes for the pulsing glow to fade completely, and Einar returned to the wires, connecting the remaining two without further panic of an overload and letting the flicker of energy from the second attempt drain as well. Hesitantly, Sam hovered her hand over the switch on the naquahdah reactor.

"Ready?"

Einar nodded firmly with a smile.

Sam flipped the switch.

She had almost expected blue sparks, short-circuiting… but instead the reactor and the crystal hummed happily, and they were bathed in a steady icy luminance from the kurstallis.

Sam looked at Einar, who stared back blankly for a brief moment. His face broke into a satisfied grin, and he threw back his head, howling: "WOO HOO!"

With overflowing joy, he threw himself at Sam as he laughed to himself, hugging her and swinging both of them about crazily.

"It worked!" he exclaimed.

Before she could work out what was happening, she felt him plant a brief kiss on her cheek. Her expression morphed from exhilaration to surprise. She was suddenly uncomfortably aware of the security camera in her lab that she didn't even need to look up and see it. Einar watched her mood change with a frown. His own smile faded too. Sensing her tenseness, he released her from his tight hug.

"What is it?"

She swallowed nervously.

"Uh oh, this is another cultural thing, isn't it?"

"Sort of," she managed, beginning to redden in embarrassment.

"Uhm… now O'Neill is shouting at me," Einar winced, tapping his head. "Colourful vocabulary."

"Einar, I know that was innocent, but the military have these regulations about fraternisation. The Colonel and I can get into a lot of trouble for doing something like that," Sam explained, her voice quiet and whispering. "I think that this won't come to anything since Hammond knows that it's not the Colonel in control right now, but doing something like that again could cause problems, OK?"

"Yes, it would be confusing… but why worry so much if you _know_ it's me? I don't act the same way as O'Neill."

Sam would have replied, but Einar jerked his head sharply, as if looking or listening from something sudden to occur. She's seen him act like this a few times before, and she folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"What's he saying?"

Einar sighed and looked completely puzzled. He looked to Sam with a very lost expression.

"When in Rome…"


	9. Chapter 9: Interrogation

_Not one of my better chapters, but one of those necessary filler ones to keep the story flowing. Hope it doesn't put you off complete LOL. Anyways, reviews are greatly appreciated as ever, so let me know if you want me to keep going!_**  
**

**Chapter 9: Interrogation**

SG-1, plus a modified reactor and a portable hard drive, tramped back down the Stargate ramp. Hammond welcomed them from the control room.

"How did it go, Colonel?"

"Fine, sir – no problems for a change," Jack replied, almost jovial.

Sure, he had no interest in power generators, Norse runes or the philosophical ramifications of mind-transfer that Carter and Daniel kept going on about. He had also been forced to let Einar take over for a while to help them get the generator hooked up to the lab, only to be consigned to stay out of the way with Teal'c and keep quiet. Yet, the chance to get out of the mountain was enough to improve his mood.

"One alien database ready to pick apart!" he added.

"Debriefing in half an hour, SG-1," Hammond stated.

_What exactly is 'Rome'?_

_**It's a city somewhere else on Earth.**_

_And how is being there relevant to these fraternisation rules? Sam seemed to know, but she was clearly still tense from my previous indiscretion – I didn't feel it was right to ask her._

**_It's just a figure of speech – it means while you're here, you follow our rules. I'm not getting into trouble because of you._**

_But I'm not an officer, O'Neill. You are._

_**OK, let's put it this way: keep your hands off Carter!**_

_**

* * *

**_

With the reactor long since finished and an entire database in Norse runes on their hands, Jack was shuttled back to Daniel's office with Einar back in the metaphysical driving seat. After a brief session collaborating with Carter to hook the database up to Daniel's computer (in which Jack's mind fell asleep again), Daniel and the alien were left to their work.

"It looks like it's in sections," Einar deduced, as the two of them elbowed each other for viewing space around the monitor. "You want to take the first column?"

"You're coping alright?" Daniel asked distractedly as he began scrawling down notes. "With Jack, I mean?"

"Oh, fine. We've agreed to get along until this is all over at least," Einar replied, easily translating the runes on the screen. "Though there is one thing I haven't been able to figure out…"

Daniel stopped writing in order to pay attention, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Maybe you can explain it to me," he shrugged. "It's Sam and O'Neill… they've explained this whole fraternisation regulation to me, but I get the impression there is more to it than that. If it were simply a matter of a rule they had to follow, then it would be fairly easy for them to talk about the topic. Why isn't it?"

"How did you three get onto the topic of frat regs at all?" Daniel frowned, taking another sip.

"Well, back in the lab, when the reactor was finally working, they both turned very awkward with me when I overreacted and kissed Sam…"

Daniel spat out his coffee, spilled his drink on his leg, and then toppled over as he jumped out of his seat in alarm.

Einar shook his head despairingly: "Is everyone going to react like this?"

"Yes," Daniel wheezed in pain, still sprawled on the floor of the office.

Einar pulled the archaeologist up by his arm, who brushed himself off and groaned at the coffee stains on his BDUs. Daniel now realised that Sam hadn't been exaggerating when she claimed Einar was very open compared to Jack – the alien had certainly admitted his actions very casually. He was no doubt picking up on some of Jack's emotion regarding Sam – something he was sure Jack strived to keep hidden at all costs. It was no secret to the rest of the team that there was something between them, no matter how restrained it was behind the barriers of Air Force military conduct. It remained unspoken, out of basic respect.

"Look, it's not really my place to say anything," he admitted. "I wouldn't go telling anyone else about this whole Jack-Sam thing. It's complicated enough."

"Very well. You should change," Einar gestured to Daniel's coffee daubed trousers.

Muttering to himself, he stumbled out of the office, still wiping vainly at the caffeine-infused drink spoiling his clothes. Einar finished writing down the database sections in English when the internal phone in Daniel's office rang. Shrugging, he picked it up.

* * *

"_Jackson's office."_

"Colonel O'Neill?" Hammond quizzed for confirmation.

"_I'll wake him up."_

Hammond sighed helplessly in the short silence that followed.

"_Sir?"_

"Colonel, please report to the briefing room. Colonel Kennedy has arrived and would like to ask Einar some questions about his technology in case it can be utilised," the General stated.

"_Yes, sir. I'll head up there now. I just need to let Daniel know where I'm disappearing to."_

Jack sat at one end of the table with a camera trained on him, and with Hammond and Colonel Kennedy at the other end. He recalled how Teal'c had received this informal interrogation when he had first arrived at the SGC, and he didn't enjoy the feeling of being scrutinised this way. Einar was not exempt from the sentiment.

_This appears very hostile. You don't like this man._

_**He was willing to sacrifice my friend's life to a Goa'uld just because he had low chances of survival. How would you feel?**_

_And this man represents your superiors? Why do you serve in the military if such people run it?_

"Colonel, hand control over to Einar," Hammond ordered.

Jack nodded and obeyed. With a sour expression, Einar rested his head in one hand and watched Kennedy silently. His opinion of this man had dropped below indifference a few notches, to unimpressed distaste.

"Are we now talking to Einar?" Kennedy asked.

"Yes," he replied evenly.

"And control of the body can be switched as simply as that, almost unnoticeably?"

"Yes, but only if O'Neill allows me or if his mind is dormant. This is his body, and since I currently have no physical component myself, he takes priority."

Kennedy gestured for his aide to takes notes.

"We already know you have some understanding of this 'kurstallis' technology from your work with Major Carter on the reactor modifications. Do you have any knowledge of how these power systems can be utilised for other technology?"

"Some."

"Can you elaborate on any details?"

"No," Einar stated flatly.

"You can't tell us anything?"

"I _could_," the alien bit back. "I just _won't_."

Kennedy looked thrown. Even Hammond frowned at the rebellious tone of his voice.

"Aren't you being unreasonably selective? You won't give us information about this technology, but you were more than willing to aid Major Carter in understanding how to modify a reactor to use it," Kennedy accused.

"Selective, yes. Unreasonable, no," Einar corrected defiantly.

"Care to explain that, Einar?" Hammond interjected.

"I knew exactly how the information I provided to Major Carter was going to be used, aside from the fact I _trust_ her. I do _not_ trust that any information I give _you_ will be used in a way of which I would approve. I don't know who else will be told about it, and you will certainly not tell me who will be informed."

"So you are unwilling to tell us anything about Innarim weaponry…"

"No."

"Defences…"

"No."

"Strategy?"

"No."

_**You know, I think I've found a side of you I actually like…**_

_**

* * *

**_

"Hey, Danny!" Jack exclaimed as he strolled back into the archaeologist's office.

Daniel jerked in surprise, nearly spilling his coffee again, "Jack?"

"Yep!" he responded. "I've found a great way to annoy Pentagon types without getting court-marshalled!"

"Which is?"

"Get Einar to do it," he grinned. "You should have seen Kennedy's face!"

"What did he tell them?" Daniel probed.

"He wouldn't tell them anything: it was great!"

"Jack, isn't it better for us if we _do _know about Innarim technology?" he reasoned.

"Yeah, just not the Pentagon," Jack winced. "You know what they're like – they'd fire a staff weapon at a naquadah bomb just to see how insanely kerblamo the effect is. Idiots…"

Daniel smirked and adjusted his glasses, concentrating on the screen of Norse runes once more: "OK, back to this database…"

* * *

With Einar back in control, and around 50 database entries later, Einar prodded at the screen in triumph.

"Aha! That's it! Lab Projects, reference 54.7."

"Where?" Daniel squinted at the monitor, blinking in weariness. " 'Innarim subject transferred to Stoneheim Research Outpost'…"

"Stoneheim, of course!" Einar babbled to himself. "Obviously."

"What?"

"Stoneheim was the planet where one of the most remote labs was built. It'd be the last place anyone would be likely to look for anything important!"

Einar grabbed a pen and some scrap paper, hastily drawing a gate address onto it. He handed it to Daniel proudly.

"There, now we know where to look! We can fix everything!"

Daniel looked at the gate address in his palm, and back up at Einar.

"That… seemed easier than I thought…"

Einar's expression suddenly dropped, and he groaned. He clapped one hand over his eyes and shook his head in abrupt misery.

"What now?"

"Ugh… Hammond said he wasn't letting the Colonel go anywhere with me while I'm refusing to tell them information to outweigh the security risk that I pose… we can't go _anywhere_ anymore to transfer me back …"


	10. Chapter 10: Revelations

_Thanks to the readers and reviewers, particularly those who have stayed with the story this far. Sorry this is shorter than usual, but I had to cut it off at a certain point for effect. Let me know if you want more!_**  
**

**Chapter 10: Revelations**

"Jackson," Daniel stated as he picked up the ringing phone from under a pile of papers.

"_Hey Daniel,"_ the familiar voice greeted.

"Sam, hey. Need something?"

"_Is the Colonel down there?"_

"No, he left a while ago," Daniel replied, continuing on with his translations. "We do think we've tracked down where Einar's original body might be, so that's good news."

"_Great – he must be pleased about that."_

"Not exactly, he's been strictly ordered to stay in the facility – no going offworld, even. I think he went back to his quarters to argue with Einar."

There was an aggravated sigh from Sam's end of the line.

"_Who said what this time?"_

"Probably just Jack blaming Einar for this little curfew – apparently Kennedy was sent from the Pentagon to do what he does best, but Einar wouldn't tell him anything," Daniel shrugged to himself.

"_I was planning to ask the Colonel how he was doing with the whole alien in the head thing – I know for a fact it isn't very comfortable. I suppose this answers my question. Why wouldn't Einar talk?"_

"He didn't say. I'd leave the two of them to simmer for a bit, though. They've probably both got things to consider. I'm working on the rest of this database for now. Maybe we could ask them about it tomorr…"

Daniel trailed off, gazing fearfully at the translation in front of him, freshly completed while talking to Sam. He ignored her confused question, only half hearing it as he flicked through his notes, and skimmed over the runes once more, clarifying that he had the text down correctly.

"Oh my god," he muttered.

"_What's wrong!"_

"Sam," he began slowly and nervously. "Get General Hammond and Teal'c. Meet me up in the briefing room as soon as you can… and _don't_ bring Jack or Einar…"

* * *

"Doctor Jackson, what's the big emergency," Hammond demanded, gesturing for everyone to take their seats.

"Two things," he stated, flicking through his file to find the hastily written gate address. "Einar's helped me translate enough database records to track down where his body was hidden. He knows the gate address, so we could go there. Unfortunately, he's been stopped from going offworld."

"The President was very clear on the point: as long as he is withholding information that could prove valuable, he isn't allowed to leave the facility," Hammond admonished. "It's out of my hands."

"His body was hidden," Teal'c echoed. "The separation of Einar's body and mind was then intentional, DanielJackson?"

"It looks that way – it didn't cross my mind to ask why at the time."

"So, what is this second important issue, Doctor Jackson?" Hammond urged.

"I began to translate the rest of the database while the team is on downtime, and I noticed something strange in this section: 'Personnel'. All of the scientists working here were listed as 'Hakonan' and there was a second field denoting species. As you can see," Daniel stood and switched on the large display screen in the briefing room, and cycled through a few of the entries, "from the text and the images with each record, the Hakonans were humans, probably moved from a Norse culture here on Earth to Hakon by the Asgard…"

"What's unusual about that," Hammond frowned. "A lot of natives we come across offworld were originally transplanted from Earth."

"Why would it be necessary to specify a species if the Hakonans were all humans?" Teal'c pondered aloud.

"Exactly, Teal'c!" Daniel exclaimed anxiously. "That's what confused me. However, there wasn't any other mention of a different species in the personnel records… but then I found this."

Daniel used the display remote to switch to another part of the database, and annotated blueprints of a strange, fierce looking creature were thrown up on the screen. Flanked by Norse runes, the creature was clearly a wolf, but much more than just a wolf. It was a biped, standing upright and tall – a perfect cross between man and lupine. It was the structure and frame of a human, but with the head, fur, tail and claws of a wolf. From some kind of quirk between the combination, the fur on its head had grown long like hair on a human being, creating a grand, almost leonine, mane that framed the head and stretched down the top of its chest.

"This, ladies and gentlemen, is an Innarim."

Silence reigned over the briefing room.

Daniel was sure no one had even moved in amazement.

"That looks like a werewolf…" Sam breathed, wide-eyed.

"Perhaps it is where the legends originated," Teal'c offered.

"You mean one of _these_ is inside Colonel O'Neill's head!" Hammond exclaimed.

"Yes," Daniel confirmed gravely, "but that's not everything. This line of runes along the top of the screen… It translates roughly as 'weapon designs'."

"Could this entry be in the wrong part of the database?" the General suggested.

"I don't think so, sir," Daniel shook his head firmly. "From the context of the runes in this record, it's in exactly the right place."

Teal'c and Hammond remained quiet in confusion, but Sam frowned dubiously. She looked at the screen, then at Teal'c and Hammond, and finally at Daniel. Her voice was astonished.

"You can't be serious?"

Daniel just nodded regretfully.

"They aren't just another species that naturally evolved on Hakon. The information in the entry is about genetic coding and characteristics," he affirmed.

"Major?" Hammond appealed.

"They're weapons, sir," Sam spun to face the superior officer with nervous awe. "They aren't born; they're built. The Innarim were sentient, genetically engineered _weapons_."


	11. Chapter 11: Darker Motives

_Wow, I'm glad to see that the last part peaked people's interest! Must be doing something right LOL. Anyway, once again a big thanks to the readers who have made it this far. Things should be getting more dramatic and have more action from now on (I hope), so thanks for sticking with it up to this point._

_I should acknowledge the Encyclopedia Mythica website as the source of my brief research into Norse mythology. Here is the address (replace the spaces with dots): www pantheon org/areas/mythology/europe/norse/articles html_

_Also, if anyone is interested, there is a drawing I've completed of an Innarim when I was still juggling the story concept around in my head - you can find it at www kaz-falcon-bsb supanet com/Einar jpg (once again replacing spaces with dots). Any comments you have on this are just as welcome as reviews!_

_ I hope you enjoy this next chapter! And sorry if you get an alert e-mail twice - I needed to edit the chapter to makes some slight changes to the web addresses given above.  
_

**Chapter 11: Darker Motives**

"I take it this is why you specifically requested that Colonel O'Neill wasn't to be present at this meeting?" Hammond guessed, still staring at the werewolf-esque creature on the main screen.

"Yes," Daniel breathed nervously. "I didn't have any idea how either of them would react. I imagine Jack wouldn't be too thrilled, but does _Einar_ even know _himself_ what he is?"

"You think he'd have an adverse response?"

"From what I can tell, the Innarim lived alongside the Hakonans peacefully. The Hakonans were excellent scientists, while the Innarim were extremely effective soldiers," Daniel explained.

"Sir, how would you feel if you were suddenly told the people you lived with and defended so devoutly created you to be a gun – a tool with a set function – and had been deceiving you your entire life?" Sam posed with a flicker of insubordination in her tone.

Hammond, however, was too taken aback to be concerned about that. He frowned and sighed.

"So you're saying he might go crazy if we tell him!"

"It seems highly likely, GeneralHammond," Teal'c responded to the exasperated question. "The alien appears to be far more open and willing to express himself than O'Neill - he has no reason to suppress his feelings. If he is indeed disturbed by this information, then he may turn on us for revealing these facts to him. I believe it would be wise to keep him ignorant of this."

"I agree with Teal'c, sir," Sam added, her voice subdued and wary. "He's a weapon – he'll have been designed to kill. Colonel O'Neill may have priority control since it's his body, but there's no telling what Einar's emotional or psychological response would do to the Colonel. If the reaction is intense enough, it can really affect him too."

"Very well, we won't inform either of them about this new information," Hammond agreed. "Keep translating the text, Dr. Jackson – see what else you can find out about the Innarim."

* * *

_Why did they lock us here in your quarters? I'm sure they left the door open all the time before now._

Jack was lying on his back on the mattress, staring blankly at the ceiling in boredom.

_**To make sure we don't run off anywhere. They don't want your information-filled mind disappearing on them.**_

_Ah…_

_**I know I liked you attitude back there, but are you really not going to tell them anything, ever? I've already been stuck in the base all week now.**_

_Perhaps in time, but I can't see it happening in the near future. As I said, I don't trust them._

_**Why not?**_

_You don't._

Jack turned onto his side, trying to get comfortable on the hard, military bed. Failing, he punched his pillow in an effort to get some volume and cosiness back into it.

_**You're basing your opinion solely on what I think?**_

_Well, it's hard not to see things from your point of view, when we're like this…_

_**You'd willingly be biased like that? Why?**_

_I'm affected and swayed by emotions, just as your kind are. Being biased is surely an inescapable part of having feelings and opinions, part of being alive – I simply choose not to pretend otherwise. Why lie to myself, by running from my feelings?_

Jack didn't answer. He sighed and just lay there in the company of his own thoughts. As his mind raced through sudden conflict and regret, he knew Einar couldn't miss noticing it. The alien had been speaking with at least some implied criticism, but it was far from malicious. It had almost been sympathetic. Jack was grateful that Einar wisely refrained from questioning him about his retreat into his own thoughts that left the curious alien with only the shared emotion as tantalising evidence of his pondering. As each conversation passed, he was thankful that what they learned about each other helped them to get along, no matter how guarded they were about their own knowledge.

But Einar's words had struck a chord inside Jack, awakening something he had strived desperately to keep hidden for the new resident in his very mind.

'_Why lie to myself, by running from my feelings?'_

_

* * *

_

Hammond scanned over the printouts of the database translations on his desk. There were several pages, and most of it looked scientific – not his field of expertise. Sam and Daniel were sitting at the opposite side of the desk in his office, waiting patiently and respectfully.

"So this is everything you could find on the Innarim?"

"Yes, General," Daniel replied. "In this database, at least. There may be more to them than this."

"The project details for the lab show that they were looking at new energy research to do with the kurstallis crystals, as well as neuro-scientific testing. There wouldn't be any need to keep a complete record of the Innarim at a remote outpost like this."

"Any full records would have been kept on Hakon, but from the look of things they've long since been destroyed," Daniel added.

"Einar himself was very clear that he is unwilling to entrust any further information to anyone outside the few people he's had contact with," Hammond reminded. "That's SG-1, Dr. Frasier and I. Would it be possible for the five of you to get any information out of him which could then be passed on?"

"I think Einar's probably on his guard after he was questioned by Colonel Kennedy, sir," Sam shook her head. "It'd be pretty obvious that we were finding out information to give to the Pentagon. He'd just be as stubborn with us now."

"Very well, Major," he sighed, defeatist. "What exactly have you two discovered from this database information?"

Daniel sat forward and sifted through several sheets, plunging ahead immediately. Not only was he concerned about wearing thin Hammond's patience, he found the whole concept of the Innarim and their background fascinating in a confused, appalled sort of way. He found his page of research and began.

"The use of a wolf as a warrior wasn't just coincidence or random choice," he stated. "Looking at Norse mythology, there was a powerful monster called Fenrir who had the shape of a giant wolf. Legend states that Fenrir and his family were prophesied to kill the Norse gods at Ragnarok – the end of the world. The Innarim were likely intended to be wolf-like because of the culture of the Hakonans – they were designed to be god-killers, just like Fenrir."

"I've had a look over the genetic information that Daniel's been able to translate, sir. The Hakonan must have been extremely advanced in biological sciences," Sam interjected, "and I think we've found several characteristics that the Innarim were designed to have. They were warriors, so they were both strong and fast, and chasing the Goa'uld from world to world – even onto ships – meant they were made extremely adaptable to survive lots of environments. The human side of them comes from having a larger brain than that of a wolf, allowing them greater intelligence. On the other hand, some qualities from the wolf genome were retained – the pack instinct offered the disposition for strong loyalty and devotion to their own communities;, the hunting instinct allowed them to operate self-sufficiently for long periods of time away from Hakon, and would have been an advantage in combat."

"Even that sounds like significant findings."

"There is… something else, sir," Sam added.

Hammond watched the two of them shift about uncomfortably in their seats. He frowned at each of them in turn, silently demanding an explanation.

"To have a creature this genetically specialised, you have to have a downside to it – it can't be perfect. From what I can tell, they managed to use this to their advantage. The Hakonans chose to forfeit any capability of meiosis in the Innarim."

"Major?"

"They have no natural reproductive system, sir," Sam simplified. "The Innarim species could only survive through the Hakonans making more of them. And that's not the only limitation they imposed. It is theoretically possible for aging to be halted by genetic engineering, but the Hakonans did the opposite. They designed them to naturally begin to fail like any other organic life form, but once they reached 1000 years old."

Hammond raised his eyebrows.

"That's what I thought, sir," Daniel commented. "Sam thinks they weren't insane enough to let loose a sentient weapon without some kind of failsafe. They removed any possibility of them reproducing by themselves, and they _programmed_ them to die – if anything ever happened that made the Innarim a threat to the Hakonans, all they had to do was let time kill them all off."

"It's one thing to tell him he's a weapon," Sam stated grimly, "but this is something else entirely."

"Will any of this affect Colonel O'Neill?"

"No, since there is no physical component of Einar present in the Colonel, he won't have any of his DNA."

"Well, I've got some bad news for you myself," Hammond shook his head regretfully. "The Pentagon and the NID have jointly contacted the SGC."

"Oh no," Daniel breathed with irritation. "Let me guess – they're complaining about us bringing a potentially dangerous alien back to Earth?"

"On the contrary, Dr. Jackson," Hammond corrected. "They're over the moon about this incident. This time, we've done exactly what they've always wanted us to do – we've found a weapon designed to fight the Goa'uld. The NID wants to take a look at what we've found out about the Innarim, and they have the full backing of the Pentagon on this one."

"What?" Sam exclaimed.

"I've been ordered to hand over all the information we have on the Innarim from the database, as well as the kurstallis crystals, the modified generators… and custody of Einar himself."

"But he's still inside the Colonel!" Sam reminded fervently, almost standing up from her seat at the news.

"I'm well aware of that, Major," he sighed, "but they think _they'd_ have more luck getting information out of Einar. Unfortunately, the NID is likely to be far less compassionate to his dignity as a life form than we are, or to the fact that Colonel O'Neill is there too."

All three of them knew what that meant – the nasty, unpleasant type of interrogation that involved torture, and which would affect both of them due to their experiential link, not just the one in control.

"We can't let them do this!" Sam exclaimed, appealing to her superior.

"Give me some credit, Major, I've been fighting this at every turn since I found out," the General admonished. "But there are only so many strings I can pull, and the President himself is ordering us to co-operate. Anything to do with the Innarim is to be handed over to the NID in two days, as well as Einar's original body should we find it on Stoneheim. Dismissed."


	12. Chapter 12: Renegades

_Thanks to the reviewers, as ever! You're all great and supportive :-D_

_I'm trying to get some more action into the story from now on. Let me know how you think it's going. Reviews are writer-food LOL. Enjoy. _

**Chapter 12: Renegades**

"I can't believe it!" Jack paced backwards and forwards across his quarters, arms folded and expression grim. "I bet Kinsey is behind all of this. Rat bastard!"

Sam stood cautiously by the door, watching him nervously. He was fuming – she expected him to kick something in a minute. She pondered for a moment how much of this emotion came from Jack alone. Surely Einar was angry as well? Yet there was no way of telling. Even if she asked either of them, it was likely the unrepressed sentiments from both of them would be mingling with each other into a joint mix of anger, and they would be just as clueless who was feeling how much of what.

This was just from the news about the NID's plans. Sam was now glad that they had chosen to keep the revelations about the Innarim's origins and nature from the pair of them. She stood by her prediction that the combination of such information could push one or both of them over the edge.

"Can't Hammond do something?" Jack appealed. "He has to be owed some favours…"

"He's already tried that, sir," Sam informed him gloomily. "He didn't get anywhere. Apparently this is coming right from the top… the President, the Pentagon…"

"So there's no one we can turn to for help then?" Jack demanded, exasperated. "No one at the tops cares – they won't give me a break? I mean, come on, I'm in here too!"

"Sorry, sir. They think," Sam began, making sure the bitter edge to her voice was clear, "that the potential benefits we could gain from studying Einar and all the information we have on the Innarim is worth it."

Jack stopped pacing and sat heavily on the bed.

"So that's it, is it?" Jack rested his head on one hand, his voice becoming thick with mockery. "Thanks for saving the world and all, but get bent?"

Sam winced: he looked so desolate and miserable. She wasn't used to seeing him like this– the hopeless, anxious, fretful side of him. Jack O'Neill was a master of concealing his emotions, particularly those that expressed undesirable qualities in a team commander such as pessimism. Was Einar's openness beginning to bleed into his own personality? Was Einar changing to be more like Jack in turn? Could it be possible that the link between their minds would grow stronger over time, and eventually they would be like the Tok'ra – sharing more than just feelings? She shoved the questions aside and sat next to him.

"I can't let this happen, Carter," he stated simply. "Einar's been trapped for two hundred years; I won't let the NID keep him locked up forever. And I won't just walk into their hands."

"There's nothing anyone at the SGC can do, sir," she reiterated. "I'm sorry, sir."

"We were all so close to solving this. We do as we're told, and we'll never get out of this mess," Jack pointed out, suddenly calmer and quieter in calculated thought. "And you're wrong; there is one thing we could do…"

He fixed Sam with a knowing stare, waiting for her response. She eyed him warily, and then frowned. She knew what he was silently suggesting.

"Sir, are you sure?" she whispered urgently.

"Very," he whispered back firmly.

"It'd take a while to organise, and the NID will be here tomorrow morning. It might be too close."

"Carter, this is the NID we're dealing with!" he grasped her shoulders tightly – desperately? – and faced her fully. "They're willing to do _anything_ to get their hands on alien technology. They'll torture me… and Einar along with me!"

Sam was taken aback. Jack and Einar were both strong-willed, and Jack at least she knew was courageous. Yet, she could see real fear in his eyes. In the pause before she answered, her mind backtracked to what she knew of Einar. The Innarim had a strong, innate sense of loyalty to those they lived with – betrayal would no doubt be beyond just a stinging blow – and here Jack was being betrayed by his own government. No wonder he was getting so worked up.

"I'll do what I can, sir," she nodded firmly.

"I just want to make this absolutely, completely clear first – you don't have to do this. Normally I wouldn't even dream of asking you to risk something like this… but I need the modified reactor, and you'd have to dial up the address for the planet where we first found Einar."

"I understand, sir, and you can count on me."

* * *

It was soon after midnight that Jack was awoken by the familiar beeping and buzzing of zat blasts from outside his locked base quarters. Fully clothed already in preparation, he hauled himself up off the bed and banged on the metal door. There was a jingle of keys and the click of a lock being turned before the door opened. Sam stood there equipped with a P-90 and heavy duty backpack of survival gear and supplies, zat in one hand and dragging a box (undoubtedly containing the reactor) with the other. The two SFs were unconscious at her feet. She offered him the zat without a word, and retrieved a spare one from a holster at her belt. 

"You got everything, great," he observed. "Give me that backpack and P-90."

"I went to the security control room first and took out the airmen on duty, so we shouldn't have too much resistance on the way to the gate, but someone will notice at some point so we don't have much time," Sam explained with military precision as she removed the heavy load from her back.

Burden exchanged, they made their way through corridors, zatting personnel along the way. They soon made it to the elevator, and once at sub-level 28, they worked their way towards the gate room. Sam dropped her end of the reactor container, darting into the control room and systematically zatting everyone in sight. Dropping her weapon, she immediately sealed off the control and gate rooms before dialling up the designated planet. Below, she saw Jack tugging the reactor to the base of the gate ramp, only pausing briefly as the base alarms started blaring.

As the gate flared into life, Sam ran down to the gate room. The pair of them hauled the boxed-up reactor up the ramp, hefting it to the base of the gate and pushing it through the event horizon. Job completed, Sam untied the GDO from her forearm, and handed it to Jack, now fully prepped. He took it and hastily attached it to himself. They knew the control room would soon be full of personnel who would attempt to close the gate.

"You didn't have to do this, Carter," Jack stated. "You could lose your career for this… but thanks."

"Well, I don't want to see either of you turned over to the NID," Sam replied factually.

"Nice to know," he grinned, shouldering his P-90. "You stay here, Major. That's an order."

"Good luck, sir," Sam declared sincerely. "And say goodbye to Einar for me."

He nodded and looked towards the gate. He hesitated. There was little time left.

"I really shouldn't do this," he admitted ruefully, turning back to Sam. "Look, I know we're still technically in Rome, but …"

He didn't bother to finish. He simply cupped her face in both of his hands and brought his lips to hers.

She didn't move. This was the last thing she had expected. From his previous words, she deduced it was Einar in control, no doubt offered to say goodbye himself. The kiss was short, but it had been longer than the one in her lab, and this one was not so innocent – it was clearly supposed to have some meaning to it. Before she could gather herself to react, the sound of the blast door broke him away.

"Einar, what-"

He didn't listen, but took one look at the rising blast door and charged through the gate.

Sam knew that she too was low on options. There was no chance of sneaking out of this one. Within seconds she would be caught by the open gate, without Jack/Einar. Was there any other possible reason for her to be here? Not to mention, all of the security tapes would show her trailing him down the corridor to the gate room, and the unconscious SFs would wake up with their own reports at some point. Jack had ordered her not to follow, but her military duty demanded that she should have prevented him from escaping at any cost. She would be defying orders no matter what she did.

However, there was only one side of that equation which would court-marshal her immediately.

Without even a brief moment of hesitation, she threw herself through the gate.


	13. Chapter 13: Square One

_OK, here's a slightly longer chapter than the last one. Sorry if a few of them were starting to get short - there were reasons for it, trust me. I would have posted this a bit earlier but I'm still half alseep from the sixth form leaver's party last night. Enjoy! Remember, feedback keeps me motivated!  
_

**Chapter 13: Square One**

Sam hit the stone on the other side of the gate and rolled down the steps, right past Jack and the boxed-up reactor. Slowing to a halt on the grass around the gate, she barely had time to re-orient herself before her CO grabbed her BDUs and hauled her upright.

"Carter, what the hell are you doing? I told you to stay there!" he snarled.

"Sorry, sir," she breathed. "I was about to be caught and court marshalled. I figured I'd be much more useful helping you out with the reactor."

He grunted anxiously: "You get that reactor out of the way, Carter, while I dial us out."

She obeyed, dragging the heavy load down the steps and to the side. Jack activated the gate, though she hadn't seen the address he had dialled. Still carrying the P-90 and his backpack, he proceeded to grab the over side of the box without and word and led them through.

"What's the plan, Colonel?" she asked as they set the reactor down on the other side.

"We went there first to throw off the trail of where I was really going. They'll search that planet for us first. Right now were on Stoneheim," he gestured to the mountainous region around them, "and there should be a remote lab outpost somewhere around here. It won't take long for the SGC to come looking for Einar's body here – they have the address as well – and we have to find it before they do and hand it over to the NID."

Though initially tentative, Einar seemed to provide the right directions, and Jack led them to a dark opening of a natural cavern. He abandoned the P-90 for a torch, and they soon came across a sealed door, illuminated by a dim, blue light fixed into the rock above. Sam realised it was the same design as the one Teal'c had forced open back at the first lab.

"This is it?" she quizzed.

"Here's hoping," Jack commented, tapping at the controls.

There was a hiss, and the door separated, retracting back into the rock walls. Before them was a short, similarly lit corridor carved into the stone around them, leading to another door. A brief journey carrying the reactor, and some more messing about with the control panel, and they were into the heart of the lab.

It was almost identical to the first one they had encountered, with the cylindrical shape and giant blue crystal dominating the centre. Computers on one side and stasis cells on the other, all interconnected and hooked up to the giant kurstallis crystal in the middle.

Jack immediately put down his end of the reactor box, and bounded over to the stasis cells. One of the hand a blinking light on its status panel, and he brushed away the frost to peer inside. There was a vague shape, distorted by the ice within.

"This has to be it," he declared. "Let's get the reactor hooked up. I'll let Einar help."

* * *

Daniel and Teal'c remained by the Stargate as SG-3 had gone ahead to search the deserted lab. His mind raced. 

"I know it's not beyond them to ignore orders like this," he reasoned to Teal'c, "but I wonder why they didn't mention any of this to us. We could have helped them, right?"

"Perhaps," Teal'c nodded once, "but time was short. ColonelO'Neill and MajorCarter may have had to act swiftly and with little planning."

"Where do you suppose they are?" Daniel questioned his Jaffa friend wearily.

"I do not know. However, I do not believe they remained here. There are no signs of tracks leading far from the Stargate, and they would be slowed by carrying the reactor. When SG-3 returns, we should depart immediately."

* * *

"Ready?" 

"Ready!"

The power had been restored to the lab and they were bathed in the icy blue light from the crystal. Einar pushed aside the bundles of wires, giving Jack control once more. Sam crouched by the generator, waiting.

"OK, put your hand on that control panel," Sam instructed. "This should cause a transfer."

"So, here goes nothing," he sighed and closed his eyes. "On three. One… two… three!"

Sam flicked the switch. The reactor hummed, and the kurstallis buzzed louder in response. As she had expected, the wires that linked the Colonel, the reactor and the stasis cell all glowed a similar blue colour as power surged through them. Jack winced and shuddered, as if cold.

"Sir?" she called over the noise.

He didn't appear to hear her. Either that or he couldn't move. She called out again, this time more urgently, and there was still no response. The reactor started fizzing and spitting sparks angrily, and Sam instinctively rolled away. With a final splutter, all of the noise died with an unhappy whine, and every single source of light (including the glowing wires) faded, plunging them into darkness. Through the blackness, Sam heard a dull thud, followed by a sharp grunt of pain.

"Colonel!"

Fumbling for her torch, she crawled to his side. Jack was lifeless, and as she placed her hand on his chest, she felt he wasn't breathing. Fighting to contain her rising panic, she felt at his neck. There was no pulse.

* * *

"Dr. Jackson, Teal'c," Hammond paced across the briefing room. "Neither Major Carter or Colonel O'Neill made any mention of this to either of you?" 

"No, sir," Daniel replied.

"So you don't know what they're doing?"

"Unfortunately not, GeneralHammond," Teal'c answered. "The search of the original alien laboratory proved fruitless."

"Kinsey is furious. The modified reactor and Einar himself were the most important aspects of everything we have on the Innarim. The NID can only get so far with the information in the database. A copy of it was also sent to the Tok'ra as promised in return for those crystals, but they haven't seen or heard from either the Colonel or Major Carter."

"General, you know both of them as well as we do," Daniel reasoned. "They wouldn't do something like this unless they thought it was their only option."

"So you think they intended to escape the NID?" Hammond probed. "As I do?"

"Partly," Teal'c explained. "There would be no reason for them to commandeer the reactor if they hoped only to escape, GeneralHammond. I am confident that MajorCarter would have easily been able to sabotage the reactor so it could not be used."

"Teal'c and I think they plan to try and transfer Einar themselves at Stoneheim," Daniel informed the SGC commander, holding up a sheet of notepaper, "and we have the gate address that Einar gave us."

Hammond nodded firmly at the implied suggestion.

"I'll have SG-3 prepped and ready in half an hour to accompany you," he stated, dismissing the two remaining members of SG-1.

* * *

In the clinging darkness of the lab, save for the small beacon of torchlight, Sam was performing CPR on her CO. From his state, her rational mind told her he was dead – no pulse, no breathing – probably killed by a malfunction or a power surge from the reactor. However, desperation fuelled her to try anyway. Out in the middle of nowhere, trapped in the darkness, she was his only slim chance. 

Her futile progress was halted by a faint hissing, from the other end of the lab. There was breathing… laboured… and the heavy clang of feet on metal.

And then she felt it… the tingling in her veins…

Whatever was there had naquahdah in its blood.

Sam immediately tugged the P-90 from the Colonel's still form, and gripped it tightly. Had they mistaken the identity of the stasis cell occupant for some trapped, forgotten Goa'uld?

With a pulsing glare of icy blue light, two spears of glowing energy grew out of the darkness with a hiss. The radiance of several small kurstallis crystals flickered into life, hovering in the dark.

As they poured light into the lab, Sam saw what they were all attached to. A living Innarim.

The kurstallis were integrated into its armour and boots, and the two spears of blue energy seemed to grow out of two exotic bracers worn on its lower arms, as if they were blades. Yet, the tingling remained. She held up the P-90 defensively as the creature circled around the central crystal of the lab. Had Einar himself been possessed by a Goa'uld, and this had all been an elaborate scheme?

"Sam, wait," the Innarim stated.

The voice was deep and strong, but somehow sounded young. She merely gripped the weapon tighter.

"It's me, Sam," he held up his hands non-threateningly. "It's Einar."

She frowned sceptically, but her mind was drawn back to the database. The Innarim had been constructed… designed… and if he was a Goa'uld, surely he would have acted when they were on Earth, and attempted to do the damage there? What if naquahdah had been used in the creation of the Innarim, and she was sensing that? She lowered the weapon, and focused back on Jack.

"Einar, the Colonel," she began shakily. "I think he's dead."

"Not quite," Einar stepped towards them urgently, and he retracted the energy blades, leaving only the small kurstallis and Sam's torch to see by. "We have to get him into the stasis cell."

Jack's body was a dead-weight, but jointly they succeeded. Sam was about to ask how they were going to activate the cell without any power, but Einar simply activated one of the blades and plunged it into the giant kurstallis crystal. It pulsed faintly, and the stasis cell hissed shut.

Sam heard a rustle of paper and the scribbling of a pencil. She wondered how he managed to write something in the dark, but then she remembered – he was a wolf, he could see well in low light. He moved to the stasis cell with Jack inside, and stuck it hastily to the glass. Almost as an afterthought, he picked up something tall and thin from the floor of the lab.

"Come, we have to leave before any SG teams get here and find us," Einar declared, urging her to the door.

"What about the Colonel?" she demanded.

"He'll be safe here," he insisted.

Sam struggled to follow the Innarim as he bounded out of the lab and into the fresh air. However, he constantly stopped and peered around, ears twitching. It gave her the chance to catch up.

Finally, as he stopped, he paused only briefly before gesturing for her to follow him closely. He stooped under an overhang and halted, shifting to give her space to join him. He motioned for complete silence.

Sam took a moment to glance over at Einar. In his hands was something that looked suspiciously like a staff weapon. She itched to ask him what he was doing with such a weapon, but her professionalism kept her quiet.

Two minutes later, the sounds of boots on stone pounded overhead, as an SG team, accompanied by Daniel and Teal'c, marched past. As they began to recede in the direction of the lab, Einar whispered to Sam.

"If you want to go back, now is your chance," he stated flatly. "Just tell them I brainwashed you, but I lost you when we were here. They'll put it down to alien influence – you're too important to the programme."

Resolute, Sam shook her head, giving him a fervent stare. She had started down this path with him; she wasn't about to backtrack now if there was a chance she was unlikely to see either Einar or Jack again. Einar set his jaw firmly and looked down – clearly it was not the answer he preferred. Yet, he didn't press the matter.

"It'll be a while before they come back this way," Einar stated, pulling free of the hiding space under the outcrop. "Don't worry about O'Neill."

"What exactly happened? Is he dead or isn't he?"

"He's alive," Einar tapped his head. "Up here. Something must have gone wrong with the transfer. We're both in my head now."

"So you put him into stasis to keep his body alive?" Sam guessed, brushing down her BDUs.

"Yes. Unfortunately, we're back to square one: both in one head, and no currently working lab to try the transfer again," Einar reminded. "We'll have to find some other way. I left a note in the lab for the others to find – they'll keep an eye on things here, I hope."

"So, what now?" Sam questioned.

"Drop the P-90, you take this staff instead. I'll explain about it later. For now, we go to Cimmera. I have an idea."

* * *

The four marines, the Jaffa and the archaeologist breached the doors into the lab, weapons raised and torches scanning every inch of the now deserted lab. Daniel noticed the blinking light on the stasis cells, and carefully shuffled towards it. Stuck haphazardly on the glass of the activated cell was a hand-written note: 

'Nice try, but not fast enough. If you defrost my body, I'll die. Don't bother trying. Just make sure no one steals me while I'm gone. Signed, Colonel O'Neill'

* * *

_For anyone who is interested, I've completed two more drawings of Einar in Innarim form. One of them has had areas of blue added to point out the kurstallis used in his armour, as well as his energy blades, as visual reference. I'll be going into more detail on his weapons and armour in the next few chapters. The address for them is below (spaces should be replaced with dots):_

www kaz-falcon-bsb supanet com/Einar2 jpg

_If you missed the address of the first drawing in an earlier chapter's notes, here's a reminder:_

www kaz-falcon-bsb supanet com/Einar jpg


	14. Chapter 14: Planet Hopping

_Thanks to both new and repeating reviewers! It's nice to see people are still reading and enjoying this. Here's the next installment - let me know what you think: as ever comments and suggestions are very welcome. _**  
**

**Chapter 14: Planet-Hopping with a Schizophrenic Werewolf**

The newer version of Thor's Hammer was the first thing both Einar and Sam saw as they stepped through to event horizon to the Norse world of Cimmera. With a screeching blue beam of light, the device scanned Sam, and then drifted over to Einar. Caught off-guard by the Hammer, he shrunk away and covered his eyes. Sam watched apprehensively.

The beam hovered over the wolf momentarily before shutting off completely. She relaxed – if she still held any suspicions that he was in truth a Goa'uld, this eliminated them.

Out of the immediate rush to avoid discovery or capture, Sam took the chance to absorb everything. Back to square one, he had said… that was frustrating in itself. She was still holding the staff weapon Einar had hurriedly handed to her. It looked the same size as the Goa'uld design, but this one shared the same elegant curving that the Innarim's bracers utilised, and was also infused with faintly glowing kurstallis crystals. Her mind strained to run after the opportunity to fully grasp how the Hakonan technology worked.

Another weapon that intrigued her was the energy blades. Though they were now deactivated, she remembered their eerie ambience in the darkened lab. They too were fascinating, even more so than a staff weapon. She'd seen and examined the workings of a staff weapon; she hadn't seen the likes of this technology before.

In her mitigated panic at the Stoneheim lab, she had numbly accepted Einar's Innarim form without much thought or question. Sam had read through the database entry about the lupine creatures, and so didn't take long to reason such a being could exist. Yet, as reality caught up with her, she felt a wash of surrealism – she was busy planet-hopping with a schizophrenic werewolf.

She'd seen a lot of new and alien things, but she inwardly thought that this was setting new records for strangeness.

Einar tweaked his ears keenly, and sniffed the air, before focusing on the foliage of the tree line surrounding the gate. No doubt his superior wolf senses had found something. She followed his line of sight, but saw nothing.

"What?" she whispered to him.

"There are humans over there, watching us," Einar stated, peering through the branches. "They're coming closer."

Within a minute, a small group of Cimmeran men had closed on the Stargate clearing, their swords drawn. Yet, when Einar pushed his way past some of the overhanging foliage, the warriors all gasped and halted, raising their weapons. Sam joined Einar's side, but the Cimmerans ignored her completely, fixated completely on the giant wolf. They were clearly startled by the Innarim, but their culture demanded no fear, and it held their courage.

One of the men took some bold steps forward, and as an instinctive reaction to the threat, Einar activated his energy blades and fell into a combat stance. With cries of panic, the Cimmerans retreated into the trees. As they disappeared, Einar straightened up and listened to the distant, panicked hollering.

"Hmm… I'd be lying if I said that was new," he stated simply.

"What did they just shout?" Sam questioned, stunned by the brief scene.

"Something about the end of the world," he scratched his head pensively. "You and O'Neill know these people. I will let the Colonel take control for now."

She nodded in agreement, and Einar began to flinch, twisting about and flattening his ears against his skull. After this display of discomfort, he looked at her and gestured for her to follow.

"OK, Carter. Let's follow them," Jack was obviously in control once more. "Hopefully Gairwyn is still around here."

Sam followed Jack's lead. This was the first time he had been in control ever since the failed transfer and his behaviour was making her jumpy. Every few seconds, he whipped his head about as if sensing something that wasn't there and his ears were flat almost constantly. She was no expert on canines, but she was sure that meant something – anger, discomfort, weariness? She caught him wincing.

"Are you in pain, sir?"

"No," he dismissed distractedly. "I think they're heading this way."

Before she could press the matter, he started off in what she hoped was the direction of Gairwyn's village.

* * *

"You seek to bring doom on us once more, warrior of Midgard!"

The pair of them immediately recognised the axe-wielding speaker as Olaf, a Cimmeran who they had worked with during their last mission to the planet – he hadn't been too pleased to see them then either. They had just cleared the wooded expanse and could see Gairwyn's village on the plateau before them. Yet, the group they had followed now blocked their way, joined by at least a dozen more armed villagers, and some were equipped with bows.

Gariwyn recognised Sam and took a step forward, yet making sure she kept her distance.

"Major Carter, why have you returned here, and why do you travel with Fenrir?" she appealed anxiously.

"Fenrir?"

"Einar says it's a Norse thing," Jack whispered from the corner of his mouth.

"Fenrir is an enemy of Thor! The wolf monster that will attack the noble gods at Ragnarok!" Olaf waved his axe threateningly at the Innarim.

"Woah, wait!" Sam propped the staff against herself so she could hold up both of her hands defensively. "We aren't here to attack anyone. He's not Fenrir, either. His name is Einar."

He looked at her pointedly, silently reminding her who was actually in control.

"Well, sort of," she added.

"You have proved your friendship in the past, Major Carter. It will be dark soon. Come with us to the village and we will talk further," Gairwyn instructed, and ordered the warriors to surround both of them as an escort guard.

It took only a few minutes to reach the centre of the village, where fires were being constructed for the coming night. Jack and Sam were instructed to sit by one of them. Olaf and a handful of the warriors stayed close by as Gairwyn joined them. Jack glanced around, suddenly aware of how clear everything looked even in the half-light of evening. He could see people keeping their distance from them, and mothers herded curious children back into their homes.

"Now, what manner of creature is this, and what foul magic does he possess? The men feared he was some kind of sorcerer," Gairwyn began, sword close to hand.

"It's a long, complicated story, but in short, he's an alien, an Innarim, called Einar. There was this accident and Colonel O'Neill's mind ended up trapped with him," Sam attempted to explain.

"So, this is your leader from before?" she quizzed, glancing at the creature nervously.

"Not exactly," Sam corrected. "Both Einar's mind and the Colonel's mind are inside this one body."

"Two minds in one body? Such a thing is unheard of," Gairwyn blinked in disbelief.

"Not anymore," Jack growled darkly. The Cimmerans backed off slightly in surprise, but he pressed his question anyway, ears flat. "Does anyone else think this fire is too loud?"

Puzzled, the assembled people shook their heads. Groaning in discomfort, Jack relinquished control to Einar.

"Ugh… O'Neill is unused to these heightened senses," Einar explained. "I shall remain in control until he's used to them."

Sam gave a wry smile, not envying Einar for having to put up with an uncomfortable, cranky Jack first hand. Yet, this explained Jack's odd demeanour back in the forest – no wonder he was getting paranoid, being bombarded with every slight sound, smell and movement around him.

"Gairwyn, this is Einar – an Innarim warrior," Sam introduced. "Einar, this is Gairwyn – one of the leaders of this village."

Einar bowed his head respectfully: "Forgive me for startling your people, Gairwyn. There has been some misunderstanding."

"What is there to misunderstand?" Olaf declared from the sidelines. "Clearly he is the wolf the old tales speak of – the god killer! We should not allow him to remain here."

"Olaf, the people of Midgard are our friends. Surely if Major Carter trusts him, we can too," Gairwyn chided. "Thor's Hammer would have stopped him if Thor deemed him an enemy."

"We won't stay long," Sam assured, interjecting into the increasing heated debate. "We're just here to…"

She trailed off. In truth, she had no idea why they were here. They had run for the gate on Stoneheim, and once through they had been occupied with the Cimmeran warriors. At no point had there been any chance to ask what Einar's bright idea had been. He was leading the way – Sam turned to him with an uncertain frown.

"Actually, Einar, what _are_ we doing here?"

"I asked O'Neill who we could ask for help other than the SGC. His immediate suggestion was an alien named Thor, and he stated that this planet was where your people first contacted him," Einar turned to Gairwyn. "We wish only to be taken to the Hall of Thor's Might."

"Aha," Olaf bellowed, rising to his feet. "You intend to find Thor. What if he wishes to do so in order to attack him, Gairwyn?"

"You are Olaf, yes?" Einar questioned calmly, still seated. "Well, you are right about one thing. I am a god-killer, but I am a warrior against the Goa'ulds: false gods, Etins… I have no quarrel with the Aesir."

_**Who the hell are the-**_

_They are the warrior gods of Norse legend, O'Neill._

_**Oh, Thor and Co.**_

Olaf didn't look convinced. Gairwyn stood and held him back firmly, frowning disapprovingly at her companion.

"It cannot be Ragnarok, friend. There has not been a succession of three winters; the stars have not vanished from the sky," Gairwyn punctuated this with a wave of her arm at the silver specked sky above them, "the ground does not shake… I say we trust them."

"Be it on your head, then" Olaf snarled, stalking off.

"Forgive Olaf, my friends," she shook her head helplessly. "He is still bitter about the circumstances of our last encounter. Now, let me offer you some food and a place to rest."

* * *

Gariwyn had space in her own home for the two of them. The beds were simple benches covered in woven bedding, clearly usable as seats during the day – they were far from comfortable compared to a proper mattress, but Sam had suffered worse off-world before. She did wish they hadn't left behind their supplies and equipment on Stoneheim, yet they had been in a rush to get to the gate.

She shifted about, turning from one side to the other. Einar seemed to be confident about what he thought he was. But he was not the soldier, he was the gun… She wondered what he would do if and when he found out, and how long the information could be kept from him. As with the meeting with General Hammond and the others, she agreed it was better all round to conceal it. However, it started to prey on her mind. He had a right to know, did he? They had to tell him sometime, right?

She glanced over at him. Einar had curled up like a dog, his side rising and falling steadily with each breath. Aside from being a giant, fearsome, sentient predator, he looked almost adorable like that. Of course, she'd have to avoid telling him– she knew Jack at least would cringe at such a blow to his tough guy reputation, and standing in front of a very tall wolfman and calling him cute probably wasn't a good idea. With a slight smile to herself, she turned over again to face the wall and attempted sleep once more.

* * *

Einar had his eyes closed, but over the crackling of the fire he could hear Sam's breathing – he knew she was still awake, though weary.

_I wonder what she's thinking about._

_**If I know Carter, then it's these weapons of yours.**_

_At the time of night?_

_**She probably analyses stuff like this even when she's asleep. I'd be worried if she ever stopped thinking.**_

_I'm sorry about all of this, O'Neill_

_**So you should be! All that talk about being so close to a solution? 'A few more days', you said. Now I'm trapped in a body that's too painful for me to control!**_

_This wasn't intentional, but you'll get used to it._

_**I don't care! The fact is we've got even less chance of getting around this mess now.**_

_Oh, and you'd prefer being back on Earth with the NID sticking electrodes to your skull?_

_**It's OK for you; you're back in your own body. What's to stop you disappearing off now you're back where you want to be?**_

Einar growled, baring his teeth.

_Your friends saw me as a person, not just some alien to be used as a lab rat – they risked a lot to help us, Sam in particular. I can at least try. Not to mention, you can still take control if I'm asleep, despite the fact I have priority in my own body. I don't want you trying to go back to Earth whenever my mind is dormant._

_**I still don't trust you.**_

_What else is there for me to do right now, O'Neill? You think I have some major dinner appointment to rush off to?_

Einar's anger became tinted with a trickle of despair, and the Innarim flashed a momentary image of the ruins of Hakon at Jack's mind.

_You know, if you can't trust me any longer like this, there is one way we could solve it._

_**Humouring you for no reason…**_

_We both allow the other access to all knowledge and thoughts we possess. We would know each other's intentions, and it would become impossible for us to deceive each other…_

_

* * *

_

Sam awoke to find herself alone, but daylight was streaming in through the open door. Beside her was a bowl of water and a simple tunic similar to the one Gairwyn wore, presumably left for her by Gairwyn herself. Glad for the immediate privacy, Sam quickly washed and changed.

Einar was ambling about aimlessly just outside. He gave her a distracted smile, half-amused.

"What?" she probed with a curious frown.

"I'm not used to seeing you in something other than BDUs, Sam."

She deduced it was definitely Einar in control – surely Jack wouldn't be so informal with her.

"Suits you actually," he added.

She rolled her eyes: "What are you pacing about for?"

"Gairwyn said she would lead us to the Hall of Thor's might – she just had something to see to first," Einar trailed to a halt. "And O'Neill and I are once more at a disagreement."

"What'd he say this time?"

"He's hurt that you assume it's his fault," Einar smirked. "He doesn't trust me anymore – not after yet another accident at a Hakonan lab. We do not see eye-to-eye on the best solution."

"Which is…?" Sam quizzed expectantly.

"Sharing all of our knowledge completely, so we can't deceive," he answered simply.

"Oh… dear," Sam responded, putting her hand over her eyes.

"Yes, well O'Neill's reaction was closer to 'not a chance in hell, you furry jackass'," Einar sighed. "I could live with it, but for O'Neill it is too close to the Tok'ra and Goa'uld. He refuses to be like them."

"Well, hopefully the Asgard can help us," Sam commented. "Jack keeps saying they owe us some favours."

* * *

With Gairwyn as a guide, they made good time to the small hammer-obelisk of the Hall. Sam assured the Norse woman that they could backtrack easily, and she bade them farewell as she headed back to the village. Having long since completed the trials of Thor's Might, Einar and Sam were transported immediately to the room with the runes.

"Hopefully the device is designed to locate Thor and not the Biliskner," Sam stated as she pressed the red activation switch in the circle among the geometric shapes on one of the walls, remembering how they'd crashed it into the ocean.

The switch glowed and flickered for a second, but nothing happened. Sam tried again, and the same thing occurred. Einar growled.

"I'm tired of things not working!"

"It must have been linked to the Beliskner," Sam ventured.

Before Einar could reply, both of them were enveloped in a blinding white light. As it faded, they found themselves on the unmistakable structure of an Asgard ship.

"Or not," Einar corrected.

Sam heard a gentle pattering of feet, and the pair of them turned to the door as it slid open to admit the small frame of Thor. However, instead of greeting them as he always did, he stopped short. His wide eyes met those of Einar, and for a minute he looked frozen, before he took a very hesitant step backwards. Sure, the Innarim was tall and had claws but the Agard had kept his cool even when replicators were swarming all over the place.

Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet, was _terrified_ of the Innarim.


	15. Chapter 15: Green and Blue

_I've finally got around to incorperating that Tollan-esque monitor like the one Skaara/Klorell wore, as suggested by Stoko a while back. Thanks for the suggestion! And thanks to the reviewers, as always. You're great!_**  
**

**Chapter 15: Green and Blue**

Thor made a sudden, silent dash back out of the door, and Sam and Einar slipped through after him. The short alien bee-lined down one of the corridors and into another room. Einar, sensing the unexpected tension of that moment, shoved O'Neill's mind back into control, not waiting for him to mentally ask for it. It was a dizzying sensation – neither of them had ever tried it before, forcing the other into command. With two minds competing for use of a single body, each took every chance they got to be in control. Jack had been unprepared for the action, and almost stumbled crazily into the wall. Sam steadied him and took the lead, trailing after the panicked Asgard. The two of them burst into the other room of the Asgard ship to which Thor had fled.

A dozen Asgard crew looked up from consoles.

There was a surreal moment of stark silence as the dark, alien eyes widened. Yet, it was shattered as the Roswell-esque crew members all dived for cover, ducking behind seats, panels, bulkheads… gasping indecipherable words in their own language. Caught off guard by such behaviour from a race so cool and calculated, Sam slowly stared at Jack.

"Do you remember when you asked Einar if he wasn't popular?" Jack conveyed, whispering through the side of his mouth.

Sam nodded mutely.

"Well, this is your answer," he inclined his head with an irritated frown. His ears were flat again – Sam wondered if this was a point where he _didn't_ want to be at the metaphysical steering wheel.

"Hey, Thor! Buddy!" Jack barked. "Don't panic! It's just your old pal O'Neill."

"Strange as it looks," Sam added matter-of-factly, "that's actually true. It _is_ him."

Jack opened his mouth to say more, but sighed as he decided against it. It wasn't just the volume of his own voice hurting his ears either. It just sounded like a very feeble explanation in light of the peculiar situation: he was trapped in an Innarim body; Sam was carrying a Hakonan staff weapon as opposed to a P-90 and was sporting a Norse tunic rather than any kind of SGC uniform; something about him had completely thrown the Asgard off balance. From the aliens' point of view, they probably looked more like visitors from one of those pesky alternate realities.

A shaky, slender hand reached up to one of the Asgard control panels. With uncertainty, it grasped one of the smooth stones, and shifted it to another section of the panel. In an engulfing flash of white light, Sam found herself transported to yet another area of the ship. This was small and featureless save for an uncomfortable looking bench – presumably a bed – and a firmly sealed door with no access panel. She'd been in enough alien brigs to recognise one from the inside.

Einar, however, was not transported here with her.

A brief, searing beam heralded Thor's arrival in the cell. Yet, he now looked like the composed commander Sam knew.

"Major Carter," he bowed his head in greeting, "your presence is unexpected. As is that of your unusual companion."

"Thor," she began hastily, "where'd you put him?"

"He is in another brig of the ship," Thor assured. "We thought it best to contain and separate the two of you until it was determined what exactly was transpiring."

"Well… that _was_ O'Neill," she reiterated.

"Major Carter, it shocks me to even consider the possibility that you are forgetting that Colonel O'Neill is a human like yourself…"

"I know, long story," she threw up her hands in exasperation, "but trust me. Can you beam him in here?"

Wordlessly and expressionlessly, Thor beamed out, before beaming back in with the Innarim after only the briefest of pauses. His ears were no longer flattened against his skull, and Sam chose to interpret this as Einar's regained control. He looked around sharply, startled by the constant transporting, but quickly retrieved his bearings upon seeing Thor and Sam there with him.

"Ah, hello. You must be Thor – O'Neill said you're a friend," Einar held out his hand.

Thor merely stared at it suspiciously, eyes narrowed. He made no move to put his own fragile hand anywhere near the one that so easily dwarfed his own.

"Major Carter, you claimed that this was in fact O'Neill," he stated flatly.

"It's not just him though, Thor," she began. "The one speaking now is an alien called Einar. It's really quite fascinating. Just over a week ago, we found an alien lab on PX3-"

"If I may," Einar interjected, holding up a single finger to silence her politely, "O'Neill has compiled a short summary. Found lab, nasty accident, trapped with alien mind, trouble with NID, found another lab, tried to fix problem, another nasty accident, gated to Cimmera, need help."

Thor nodded once and blinked.

"I must say, we had not expected you to come looking for us. We have recently received a message from Stargate Command requesting our assistance. Our own business took priority, but when we had completed our immediate tasks we replied to it," he explained in his cool, calm and collected tone. "We have been informed that O'Neill was in some predicament, but were unaware of the nature of it. Details were unclear. General Hammond has appealed to us to help locate and return both of you to the SGC. Can I assume this is also your intent?"

"NO!" the pair exclaimed simultaneously.

Thor simply blinked again, his posture seeking explanation.

"We can't go back to Earth," Einar said fervently. "O'Neill and I would be interrogated by the NID, and Sam would most likely be court-marshalled."

"The fact of the matter is that Einar and the Colonel are both trapped together in one body. At first it was Colonel O'Neill's body, but now they're in Einar's. We left without authorisation to try and solve this mess ourselves," Sam added. "Like the Colonel said in his summary, there was another accidental failure, and we're low on options."

"So far we haven't had many offers for help," Einar stated grimly. "I mean, if the SGC won't trust us, what chance do we have with anyone off-world? Not even the Cimmerans seems too eager to help."

"Yes, forgive our reaction to your arrival. The Asgard are not a superstitious people, but encountering what appears to be the incarnation of a sworn mythological enemy does tend to unsettle one," Thor nodded cautiously at Einar. "Our race has long heard of the Innarim, but found little evidence to confirm their existence. The Asgard regarded the Innarim as an irrational prophecy or fictional legend."

"No prophecy," Einar dismissed with a casual wave of his hand. "Just didn't try to draw _too_ much attention to ourselves. Not that it made much difference."

"The Asgard are advanced in neuro-sciences," Sam stated factually, in professional, 'Major' mode. "You've helped the Colonel before when he had the knowledge of the Ancients downloaded into his mind. Do you have any way to remove the Colonel from Einar and put his consciousness back into his own body?"

"Perhaps," Thor admitted, inclining his head.

* * *

After a quick, Asgard equivalent of a CAT scan, in order to analyse both Einar and Jack's position, they were left alone in the ship's medical bay while Thor examined the results. It was a good half an hour before the short alien came back, in which both the human and alien minds grew impatient. Sam carefully watched Jack as he paced back and forth – given control once more by Einar simply to work off his frustration by doing _something_ other than simmer annoyingly at the back of his head.

"What, Carter?" Jack suddenly snapped.

He knew she'd been watching him, she thought, without even looking up. She resolved to be more careful of her actions around him while he was in Einar's body.

"Sir?"

"What are you looking at me like that for?" he snarled.

"You just seem…" she grasped for an acceptable description, "more annoyed than usual, sir."

His head whipped up, eyes almost blazing: "You're saying I'm always annoyed?"

"Not always…"

"Just lately?" he offered, his voice thick with displeasure. "Ever since _Einar_ showed up? You expected me to dance around with joy?"

"Sir," Sam appealed, "all I mean is… it's obvious something more is bothering you."

Grumbling deeply, Jack stopped pacing and plonked down on the bench next to her. He rested his muzzle in one hand.

"It's just…" he began awkwardly. "Not to turn into Mr. Pessimistic, but what if I'm stuck like this? Everything's too bright, too loud, too strong… and everyone we've met so far runs off in terror, even allies. Is this all I have to look forward to?"

"Don't worry, sir," she assured. "If Einar was transferred out of his body, there has to be a way to transfer you back into yours. Logically speaking."

Thor halted the conversation as he returned to the room. Jack tried to read his expression, but the Asgard was as neutral and indifferent in his features as ever.

"Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter," Thor greeted formally. "The scans have been examined – I regret that while we know much of human neurology, the Innarim are another matter entirely. It is something far more complex than we expected."

_Because he was designed…_ Sam bit back the thought, refusing to give away the true nature of the Innarim. Too soon – it was far too soon for that revelation…

"Though it may be possible with further study of the scans we have, at present we lack the knowledge to safely isolate and transfer one mind from the body and into another."

Jack grumbled again, reverberating deep in his wolven throat.

"However," Thor continued, "there are two other points of interest to mention to you both. Firstly, the presence of two minds layered onto the structure of a single brain seems to have caused previously dormant parts of the brain to activate. Where most humans and similar species only use about 10 of their brains, the combination of O'Neill and Einar uses about 20 instead."

"Really?" Sam leaned forward eagerly for further details.

_**Damn, Carter's interested. We'll be here all day now.**_

_This could be important. Listen, or at least let her listen and then explain it to you later._

"You're saying that each of their brains would have compensated for the neural pattern of an extra mind by forcing it into unused areas of the brain, so it doesn't interfere with the original mind for that body?"

"Yes, Major Carter."

_**Are you getting any of this?**_

_Yes._

_**And…**_

_Well, you know one of your Earth automobiles. When I show up, I get shoved in the passenger seat, because you never really need to sit there._

"Then it'd be possible to have more than two minds in a single body – there could be up to ten?" Sam stampeded on with the possibilities.

"Perhaps, but we digress…" Thor chided. "All that matters is that they seem to co-exist with relative stability, and the absence so far of any serious side-effects that could damage either of them is a promising sign."

"The second point of interest?" Jack urged.

"Yes," Thor nodded. "We have been researching the bond between host and parasite in the hopes that it would aid us in interrogating Goa'uld prisoners, or even suppressing the parasite itself. From this we have developed a device much like that you have already encountered with the Tollans."

Sam stung at the memory and the loss of Narim in particular. Thor held out an armband, fitted with a simple light. It was deactivated, and thus not lit.

"This device taps into the mental state of the wearer, and the light uses a system of colour-coding to identify the active, controlling mind. From the neurological readings we have, it has been set to display green for O'Neill and blue for Einar."

Thor handed over the armband to Jack, who shrugged and tied it to his upper left arm. He tentatively tested it out, watching the light switch from green to blue several times. It finished on green. Jack grinned, his former gloom pushed aside.

"Thank, Thor," he gave the Asgard commander a thumbs-up. "You're a real pal!"

"You are welcome, O'Neill. Each mind can now be easily identified. Though it may take time to find a solution to your dilemma, this at least may allow your superiors to place more trust in you should you ever need to return to Earth prematurely."

* * *

After a short farewell, Thor beamed them back down to the Hammer obelisk that marked the Hall of Thor's Might. Backtracking, they returned to Gairwyn's village to gather some supplies (amid Olaf's complaints) and then proceeded towards the Stargate. Jack relinquished control to Einar, still uncomfortable with the Innarim's body, and discussed their next move.

"Well, we can't go back to Earth, yet. Even with this Asgard armband, there's no way they'll trust us," Einar sighed. "Not to mention, there'd be absolutely nothing stopping the NID from getting their hands on me if we go back with both O'Neill and me in _this_ body."

"There's the fraternisation rules, too," Sam added awkwardly. "Even though it wasn't the Colonel's mind… there'll be tapes of you and me being a bit _too_ close…"

"Ah, that too," he admitted ruefully. "Yet, I don't think they could just accuse you two of fraternisation straight away, could they? There was no way of telling O'Neill and me apart then. How can they know for certain which one of us was actually in control at the time?"

He stopped to adjust the armband now attached high up on his left arm, before standing in front of the DHD and dialling a new address.

"That's enough of a technicality to keep them second guessing for months."

The gate activated with the usual kawoosh of energy, and Einar moved away to climb the small set of stone steps just in front of the gate itself. Sam watched his back curiously. He was being very flippant about kissing her at all, but why bother at all if he had meant nothing by it? Sam reasoned she could easily write it off as him being an alien in any other situation, but this was far too complex for such a simple explanation. After all, didn't he and Jack share their feelings? What if Jack still cared for her and Einar inevitably picked up on it? Would that explain why he was behaving so dismissively – he was now segregating their emotions? Or perhaps Jack's canny ability to repress or ignore the difficult emotional side of things was diffusing into Einar's personality?

"On the other hand," Einar stopped right in front of the event horizon, "you have exactly the same problem."

Sam was shaken from her thoughts: "Huh?"

"Think about it," he instructed, glancing over his shoulder. "How can _you_ be exactly sure which one of us was _really_ in control back in the gateroom?"

With that, he grinned cheekily and stepped through the watery portal. Sam hesitated, stunned, but only briefly before climbing the steps herself and passing through the wormhole.


	16. Chapter 16: Moratorium

_OK, thanks again to readers and reviewers. This chapter is the longest one so far and I've been working towards this for some time now, so I hope its dramatic enough for you! By the way, don't worry too much if some things are confusing. Enjoy, and let me know what you think! _

**Chapter 16: Moratorium**

The world Einar and Sam emerged into was blurred by a dark pall of rainfall. They were immediately drenched and subdued by the elements, but the Cimmeran tunic was proving waterproof, much to Sam's relief. Einar didn't have much in the way of garments – other than a pair of unremarkable trousers and his sparse armour he was exposed to the weather, but his fur looked like it was holding up against the watery cascade. However, the grey coat was now flattened under the weight of the rain soaking into it, and Einar looked comically thinner than before. In fact, Sam held back a laugh as he turned around to indicate she should follow; he looked like he should be on one of those animal welfare adverts, with a very sorry-looking dog sitting in the rain, large eyes ridiculously out of proportion due to the flattening effects of the rain.

Einar's former mind games about the gateroom forgotten, she followed his lead, taking in the terrain of this new planet. She didn't recognise it, but the team had visited countless uninhabited worlds just like this one – plentiful trees, rain saturated grass and mud underfoot, odd-looking plants, alien birds flitting about under the cover of the canopy… she might have been here before, she might not have. Yet, once more, Jack and Einar seemed to know where they were going.

Their destination was a small cave, eroded into the bottom edge of a sandstone precipice by the weather. Though it was dark and cold, it was dry. Dry, at least, until Einar shook himself violently, throwing droplets everywhere. Catching Sam's irritated glare, he grinned sheepishly.

"Heh, sorry."

Using some brittle, dried up wood that was (rather conveniently) scattered about the back of the cave, they soon had a fire going and devoured some of their supplies. The Innarim had respectfully turned around to face the other wall as Sam attempted to dry off some of her clothes, removing them and placing them close to the fire, remaining wrapped in a simple woven blanket from her pack (another gift from Gairwyn).

"So, where are we now?" she asked as he turned back around.

"Safe," he answered enigmatically. "We never really gave this world a name. It was a kind of remote hiding place for Innarim away from Hakon. Hence the nice, dry wood already in here – whoever was here last must have left it."

"And why are we here?"

"We need to figure out what to do next, and the Cimmerans didn't seem too welcoming. I reasoned somewhere uninhabited to camp out would be best. O'Neill agreed."

"So you've been running everything past the Colonel first?" she probed.

The armband flickered from blue to green, and Jack snapped out a reply: "I'm still the highest ranking officer here – I'm not being demoted just because I'm a mental flatmate with fur-face here!"

"Of course, sir," Sam smirked. "Are you adapting to the new body, Colonel?"

"Only just, Carter," he admitted gruffly. "I'm worried about having to get used to my own human body again after this."

Colonel O'Neill: ever the optimist, Sam thought to herself. He still held out hope that he was getting out of this mess. At present Sam couldn't fathom any way to reverse the process themselves. True, the Asgard might have been able to help him, but the prior research would take an indeterminate amount of time. What if it took years, decades, or centuries? She knew Einar was programmed to die someday…

"Einar," She began cautiously, watching as the armband switched back to blue. "How _old_ are you?"

"Not counting the two centuries trapped in stasis in that lab… 263 of your years."

She raised her eyebrow, Teal'c-style, at that. It gave around three quarters of a millennia before he died, for lack of a better word, a_ natural_ death. Sam had little doubt that the Asgard would have some solution long before that, but couldn't help desire a positive outcome some time while she too was still alive. Despite all of that, she was still surprised by his answer.

"You don't look that old," she commented.

"Thanks."

"Well, where do we go now?" Sam quizzed. "We can't go to Earth yet, and the Asgard need time to look into a solution. The first Hakonan lab has no power, and the Stoneheim Hakonan lab will probably be swarming with SG personnel by now."

"Hmm… O'Neill tells me the Tollans are all but destroyed, and the Nox are well beyond our reach… but what of the Tok'ra?"

"Maybe, but when my dad came to the SGC to help out, he wasn't sure if it was even possible to remove one mind from the other," Sam said. "They may have already been contacted by the SGC, and told to return us if we ever show up. Plus, they get a little edgy if they get guests without an appointment. The Colonel has told you how secretive they are, right?"

Einar nodded.

"It seems there's nowhere _to_ go at present," the Innarim remarked. "We're stuck."

"We're stuck," Sam echoed.

"Are you finally going to explain these weapons to me, then?" Sam quizzed hopefully.

"Yes. Why not?" Einar said. "If we're going to be relying on each other…"

Einar stood and stepped back a bit and motioned for her stay seated. With a fluid flick of his wrists, the energy blades were activated, growing out from the bracers. He waved them about experimentally.

"These are called 'Vapenavulv' in my own language, but this is often shortened to 'Vapen blades'," Einar began, and he gestured to the kurstallis crystals embedded into the bracers. "Like the power sources, the kurstallis absorb energy and use it to power the Vapen blades. The blades themselves can both absorb and emit energy, and this is how they work as weapons."

"In what way?"

"The blades emit light and, more importantly, heat. This can cause burns to organic matter they touch – so don't get too close if I'm using them. Like the kurstallis, the blades can absorb energy from whatever it touches. In the case of an organic being, this can include heat, chemical, and bio-electric."

"So it's partially self-sustaining?" Sam said. "In combat, the energy it gets from the enemy will keep them going."

"Yes, but the blades are not everything," Einar continued. "You haven't missed the other kurstallis in my other amour, no? Well, the armour and bracers also use the crystals to create and sustain a sphere of energy around it that acts as a shield."

"Wait, you've mastered personal shield technology?"

Sam looked him over, noting the strategic positioning of each of the crystals – around his head and shoulders, on his arms, his boots… it looked as if most of his body would be covered by the unseen barriers.

"Correct. Unfortunately, the integrated power systems mean Innarim warriors are limited to close-combat with the Vapen blades, but the shields can block fire from most energy weapons – Goa'uld weaponry in particular – which makes it worth it."

"What about projectile weapons?"

"Innarim have been attacked with weapons ranging from arrows to guns similar to your own, by non-Goa'uld adversaries," Einar shook his head. "The shield can slow the ammunition slightly but not stop it."

"How do you turn them on and off? There's no switch?"

"No, they're tuned to the distinctive movement of the arm, like this," he demonstrated by flicking the blade off and then back on again. "It takes a lot of practice to perfect. Not like that staff."

Einar gestured to the weapon, now propped against the cave wall. He turned his back, and she re-clothed herself in the semi-dry tunic, before signalling her completion. Einar turned back once more.

"This was created from looking at Goa'uld weapons," he stated. "It works in exactly the same way, and was intended to be the solution to our melee-only limitation since it has a separate power supply to Innarim armour. The Hakonans made very few, as it was only developed a few months before the attack."

The wolf gestured for her to pick up the weapon, and she hefted it experimentally. It seemed lighter than Teal'c staff weapon, and the design was far more curved and graceful than the crude shape of the Goa'uld version. She remembered noticing the kurstallis fixed onto the weapon earlier.

"It fires weaker blasts – it takes two or three hits to kill – but the rate of fire is three times that of the Goa'uld staff weapon," Einar explained, pointing out of the cave entrance at the rain-soaked world. "Have a try."

Sam levered the staff down into firing position, and deftly launched off a flurry of fizzing blasts. As Einar had stated, the rate was incredibly fast, almost like an automatic weapon compared to the usual staffs she'd seen. The bolts of energy were icy blue, the trademark of all Innarim/Hakonan technology, and hissed out into the sheet of rain pouring down outside.

Einar seized up, ears twitching. Sam recognised the obvious signs.

"What?" she whispered.

"Someone said 'ouch'," he whispered back urgently.

Three orange bolts of energy whizzed past their heads, forcing them both to throw themselves to the floor instinctively. Three circles of blackened rock behind them smoked angrily. Another volley followed, and the pair crawled to either side of the cave opening, military training kicking in. Sam peered around the edge, and saw half a dozen Jaffa weaving through the trees, converging on their position.

"Damn," she muttered. The tryout of the Hakonan staff had no doubt alerted them to their presence.

Einar simply grinned manically, brandishing an activated Vapen blade.

"Want the practical demonstration?"

With that, the wolf warrior sprung upright and out of the cave, roaring. Staff and zat blasts simply hit the kurstallis shields, and disappeared in a brief buzz of blue light. Einar pounced on the nearest Jaffa, blades glowig as he scythed them through the enemy's body.

The Vapen blades passed straight through, unhindered. However, the unfortunate Jaffa cried out in pain and clutched at his chest where the blades had made contact, falling to his knees.

Burnt and drained.

Sam readied the staff weapon, trying to lay down supporting fire for him as Einar moved onto another opponent, but his expert fighting style kept him darting in and out of her line of fire. She couldn't risk hitting him – she had no idea if the shields would stop _Hakonan_ weapons too.

A second Jaffa fell, and two of the remaining four decided the Tauri soldier was an easier target. They began stalking towards her position, leaving their companions to occupy the Innarim. Sam held them off momentarily, taking one down with rapid staff blasts.

But the second Jaffa took a precision shot with his zat, sending her spiralling into darkness.

* * *

_**Ugh… my head…**_

_OUR head. Must have clobbered it from behind. Very unsporting of them._

_**What happened to Carter?**_

Ignoring the killer headache, Einar opened his eyes so they could both see. There beside him, left where she had been dragged by the guards, was Sam. She was still unconscious, but he could hear her slow breathing and it quelled the anxiousness both of them felt simultaneously. Jack flickered with suspicion and envy, unable to tell whether it was just from him, or if Einar was deeply concerned about Sam as well. Einar either didn't notice or chose not to comment, but he did accede to Jack's request to take control.

Jack jostled Sam's shoulder: "Carter? Carter, wake up."

Sam sat up sharply, blinking in disorientation and muted pain as her mind regained control of her body through the paralysing effects of the zat blast. Her eyes drifted to the armband, glowing green.

"Sir…" she choked.

"You OK?"

"Will be…"

"Einar says sorry," he said bitterly. "Apparently the Goa'uld completed ignored that planet, from what he remembers, but it must have become an important strategic position. It looks like more things've changed than he counted on, but I think the stupid wolf should have been more cautious."

_Oh, sorry for taking you to find help, telling you both about the weapons technology, holding back the greater part of a Jaffa scouting party from your friend…_

_**And a lot of good that did! Look around you – we're in a Goa'uld holding cell, probably on a mothership.**_

_Six against one – I reckon I lasted longer than you would have, human!_

_**But it's just one problem after another with you! You're even more of a trouble-magnet than Daniel. Ever since I met you, things have gone from bad to worse.**_

_At least you have a life to lose…_

Einar trailed off, and huffily snatched control back, consigning Jack back to the metaphysical passenger seat. The pair sat in the gloom of the prison, occasionally exchanging suggestions of how to escape, but they knew that aside from the clichéd 'hitting the guard over the head when they bring water', they were helpless. They had no weapons or supplies anymore. There was no chance of a rescue – no one knew where they were.

* * *

After being left to moulder for what felt like hours, a group of Jaffa arrived. They were dragged through the corridors of the ship after having their hands secured behind their backs (they seemed to pay far more attention to the fearsome Innarim, who gave surprisingly little resistance). Their captors eventually tugged them into the ship's peltak.

Sitting self-importantly on the peltak throne was the typical visage of a Goa'uld. Sam had never seen this snakehead before – he must have been a bit player, a minor Goa'uld in the grand scheme of things, but he himself clearly didn't see it that way. Attired in archaic leather armour reminiscent of the Middle Ages, giving off the air of a feared warrior. His handsome features were ruined by the expression of hate and disdain he wore. In typical evil-mastermind fashion, his eyes flashed white and his distorted voice bellowed at them imposingly.

"I am the god Wotan. Kneel before your new master!"

Neither of them made a move to obey, and with a brief prompt from Wotan, the Jaffa guards struck from behind to force them to comply.

"Well, well," he grinned gleefully. "What an odd pair. A single Tauri warrior, and a creature spoken of only in legend. Tell me, my fictional friend: what do they call you?"

"Einar," the Innarim snarled, "and I am no fiction. You'll see how real I am soon enough."

"Silence! You're threats are hollow. You can do nothing! I offer you this – give up the secrets of both your races, and you're lives shall be spared," Wotan said.

"You won't get anything out of us," Sam stated firmly.

The Jaffa struck both of them in the back harshly. Wotan gave another of his unnerving smiles: "It matters little. I am a god – what you will not give to me, I will simply take for myself."

He stood, stepping down from the throne to stand just in front of them as they knelt helplessly on the floor of the Peltak.

"One of you will become a host, and then I will know all that you know," he stated. "That one will then be forced to watch powerlessly as you swear loyalty to me by killing the other."

Sam glanced over at Einar, barely keeping her fear of the inevitable fates offered to them subdued. However, the wolf merely continued to stare impassively ahead.

"But who would make the better host?" Wotan stood directly in front of Einar. "You, perhaps – an Innarim body… strong, fast, something of a one-man-army. A force to be reckoned with. Even my fellow gods would fear such a visage in my ranks."

Einar didn't react, and so he moved over to Sam, lifting up her chin firmly: "On the other hand, why waste the famous Major Carter of SG-1? The knowledge of the Tauri… the System Lords would not be so hasty to eliminate me with the loss of such information at stake."

Without even turning away, Einar spoke in a determined snarl: "Me."

Both Sam and Wotan sharply looked at him.

"_I'd_ make the better host."

The Goa'uld released Sam's face and stormed over to the Innarim. He grabbed a fistful of the creature's mane and tugged it back so Einar was forced to look right at him. This elicited a growl of pain from him, and Einar met Wotan's eyes with an enraged stare.

"You presume to tell a god what to decide?" Wotan shouted. "Why do you condemn yourself?"

"To Netu with this," Einar snarled back. "I'm getting out of this mess one way or another!"

Sam blinked, stunned, as she watched the exchange. The armband was blue… Her mind struggled to fathom what the hell Einar was doing. Was this some subtle plan?

"You have strength, Innarim," Wotan said. "Yet, the knowledge the Tauri possesses is far more valuable to me. What makes you a better choice?"

"I _too_ am a Tauri!" he retorted with a sly grin. "Hidden in my mind is the consciousness of Colonel Jack O'Neill! With me, you get both strength _and_ knowledge!"

Sam's eyes widened as she realised what he was doing. Einar was backstabbing them! In an effort to selfishly preserve his own life, the Innarim was betraying both Jack and herself, and was willing to live as a host to his sworn enemy. After all of his assistance, when push came to shove, Einar cared more about himself. She would be executed by Einar's hands, and Jack would be consigned to a living death as a joint host mind.

She was restrained, and Einar's priority control was no doubt keeping Jack completely subdued. There was nothing either of them could do to prevent this. She closed her eyes and looked down in despair.

Perhaps Einar had been planning this from the beginning…

"Very well, you have made your argument," Wotan released Einar's mane with an equally sly smile. "If you so wish to be a host, so be it. Jaffa, kree!"

Sam found herself watching in morbid hopelessness as one of the Jaffa stepped forward and removed its symbiote. The Jaffa handed the squeaking, squirming parasite to Wotan, who pulled back Einar's mane to expose his neck.

The symbiote dove eagerly into it with a sickening crunch, and Einar roared in pain, eyes squeezed shut and ears flat against his skull. The armband light faded briefly, before returning as an angry, crimson glow, picking up the presence of a third mind.

With that Einar drew up sharply, eyes flashing, and then collapsed onto his side.

Wotan nudged the unconscious Innarim with his boot: "Take them both away. Put them in separate cells."

* * *

Time lost its meaning for Sam as she lay on the floor of the cell, hands still bound behind her back. All she could think about was that terrible scene in the peltak, replaying constantly in her mind, that she didn't know how much time had passed. She could feel nothing, her whole body numb, save for the piercing sting of betrayal.

She should have noticed something… she should have paid more attention… there must have some sort of clue that Einar would do this… but all her mind could remember was Einar's eagerness to help solve their problem. Why had he turned on them so easily?

She barely heard the cell door being opened, and allowed the guards to drag her upright and out of the cell, all the way to the peltak.

Einar was there with Wotan, back in his armour and bracers, and holding his Hakonan staff weapon, but no longer wearing his armband. He looked even more fearsome than Sam dared imagine. By some bizarre twist, the creature's eyes glowed constantly, but not white like a typical Goa'uld. It was a sharp, eerie blue. The distortion of Einar's voice permeated the air.

"You still wish this Tauri pest destroyed, my lord?"

"Yes. Prove your allegiance by executing this meddlesome annoyance once and for all," Wotan said emotionlessly.

He nodded once and readied the staff with a hum of changing energy. Sam closed her eyes…

Silence followed.

Nothing happened.

She reopened them. The Goa'ulded Innarim shrugged and turned to his new master.

"Lord, I have a suggestion…"

* * *

Sam was once more dragged away, and taken to a ring room. The two Jaffa ringed them all down, and Sam recognised it as the unnamed planet they had been captured on. They were in front of the gate, and it was still raining. A small group of Jaffa, as well as the two Goa'uld, were already there.

No words were spoken.

The Goa'ulded Innarim began dialling, and Sam immediately recognised the address.

"Earth? You're dialling Earth?"

"The Tauri gate is shielded by a metal iris. Without the correct code, this iris will be closed," Einar's voice replied.

"Ironic," Wotan commented as the gate activated. "Killed by your own defences. Now, I shall rise to dominance with the power and knowledge that has walked into my hands!"

"Oh, but there is one thing you haven't considered yet," the Goa'ulded Innarim reminded.

The creature grabbed Wotan's collar, and with an expert flick of his wrist, activated a Vapen blade and plunged it into the Goa'uld's neck.

"You made a fatal error in untying me," he stated wickedly.

He held the glowing blade there, until there was a stench of burning flesh and the Goa'uld symbiote within was scorched beyond repair. Several of the guards fired off their staff weapons at the Innarim, but the kurstallis shields simply consumed the energy. With disdain, he threw the lifeless body to the ground.

"All that was his is now mine!" he bellowed in his resonating voice to the Jaffa, retracting the energy blade.

Before anything further could be done, he snatched Sam from the two Jaffa guards holding her and hauled her to the event horizon. She tried to pull away from the Goa'uld, but his strength was greater. Something was shoved into her hands, and she was pushed through the shimmering portal.

And in place of the expected smash into oblivion, Sam felt the painful mesh of metal connect with her back. She rolled to a halt.

She opened her eyes.

Daniel and Teal'c appeared over her, concern and surprise etched into their features.

"Sam, are you OK?"

She didn't answer. Sam looked down at her hands, still clutching something. A GDO device…

The three remaining members of SG-1 sat below the deactivated stargate, lost in the echoing silence.


	17. Chapter 17: Shifting States

_I'm glad people seemed to like the drama in the previous chapter. I'm a bit worried about the characterisation in this one - let me know if its worth revising this chapter to make it more believable. Enjoy!_**  
**

**Chapter 17: Shifting States**

"How is she?" Daniel whispered to Janet, watching Sam lie listlessly on her side, back towards them. "Still nothing?"

"No. I've tried talking to her, but she's just retreating from everything," Janet explained, her voice filled with melancholy. "Off the record – she's never reacted well to situations where Colonel O'Neill is captured or stranded, but this is something else. It's like she's given up completely."

"So she's not admitting something? There's something more?" he guessed.

Janet shrugged wearily in admission of her ignorance. Daniel squeezed her shoulder and ambled cautiously to Sam, sitting down on the edge of the infirmary bed. She made no sign that she noticed or cared – she simply ignored everything around her. Reminded of his ordeal in which his wife was killed, and Shau're's message of what would happen if he had let himself become consumed by it, he resolved to do all he could to prevent the same happening to Sam. Reaching around to her hand, he wrapped his fingers gently around it. Knowing his friend, Daniel suspected words of comfort might just annoy or provoke her at the moment, and so he remained silent.

"He's betrayed us."

Daniel's head snapped up at the sudden, sorrowful statement.

"All of us," Sam added.

"What?" Daniel gasped.

As if running on some kind of autopilot, she recounted the whole despairing experience to the increasingly bewildered archaeologist – how Einar had tried to scythe his way through half a dozen Jaffa, only to fold immediately to the Goa'uld threats on their lives; how he had chosen to consign both Jack and himself to inescapable imprisonment rather than die; how the newly implanted Goa'uld had used Einar's highly specialised and fearsome form to murder it's master to steal his power.

"Now the Goa'uld know all about us and the Innarim… technologies, security, defences… and he took the Colonel down with him…" she shook her head, downcast. "And I trusted him…"

* * *

Hammond kept a watchful eye on Senator Kinsey as he sat at the head of the briefing room table, two separate reports in front of him; one from Daniel and the other from Janet. Kinsey had added his own official form to his pile of papers, and sat down opposite the chief medical officer and the remaining male members of SG-1. The seriousness of the situation weighed heavily on his shoulders. 

"Senator Kinsey," the General began, brandishing the dangerous form. "I know the rules of the military just as well as you do, but in the circumstances Major Carter will not be immediately court-marshalled. Don't make me use the red phone again."

"Your persistence in protecting the Major is getting ridiculous, General," Kinsey declared viciously. "She assisted an alien in custody in escaping, and has all but handed over Colonel O'Neill's knowledge, as well as this alien's, to the enemy! Not to mention the CCTV evidence of fraternisation."

"Senator, Colonel O'Neill was under the influence of an alien intelligence. Any fraternisation changes can be countered with that," Hammond barked. "Meanwhile, Major Carter is in no fit state to be subjected to any military inquiry. Dr. Frasier, remind the good Senator here of your expert medical opinion."

Janet opened up her file, straining to remain composed and professional: "Major Carter appears to be suffering from shock and post traumatic stress. My recommendation is that she be kept under strict surveillance, and possibly attend sessions with the base psychiatrist. Until her state of mind has improved, Major Carter should be removed from active duty."

"I will not endanger the already shocked mental state of one of my officers by subjecting her to court-marshal. Major Carter's actions will be dealt with at a later stage, even though I believe such an upstanding member of the Air Force wouldn't blatantly disregard orders without damn good reason," the General stated.

"Nevertheless," Kinsey clenched his fist, "this is simply another example of SG-1's recklessness and incapability of doing their job properly. No military guidelines condone blindly trusting an unknown foreign military entity – this blatant act of betrayal is fine evidence!"

"Oh betrayal is the word I'd choose."

Hammond whipped his head around to Daniel, who sat beside Teal'c and glowered with uncharacteristic anger: "Dr. Jackson?"

"We spend all that time translating the database and modifying the reactor," he glared accusingly at Kinsey, crossing his arms and leaning forward, "and the minute we finish the NID slams the breaks down and demands we hand over all of the conveniently analysed alien information, technology and _living specimens_. Well, I don't believe in coincidences."

"Indeed," Teal'c added, his impassiveness subtly shifting to simmering anger as he laced his fingers together. "The NID _could_ have requisitioned everything Innarim-related from the SGC as soon as it was acquired. Also, I do not believe O'Neill and MajorCarter would have taken such action had there not been the pressure from the NID."

"Exactly," Daniel crashed his fist down on the table. "The Innarim were warriors, and warrior cultures have strict codes of honour and loyalty, right Teal'c?"

"Correct, DanielJackson."

"Soldiers like that don't take betrayal very well – it verges on unthinkable. That's why most Jaffa still serving the Goa'uld hate Teal'c so much. So how must it have looked to Einar and Jack? Up until that point, Einar had done nothing to give us reason to doubt him, and then he gets turned over to a less benevolent organisation for interrogation. Jack was doing the job he'd been told to do, and suddenly his _own_ _government_ tries to turn him into a lab rat. How would you feel? I think 'betrayed' comes into it."

"Dr. Jackson…" Hammond interjected firmly.

However, Daniel wasn't about to be subdued.

"For all we know, Einar did what he did as some kind of retaliation. He can't take on the planet himself, so maybe he gave the Goa'uld the knowledge so they do it for him?" Daniel stood up from his seat. "Maybe you should have thought about that before _we_ betrayed _him_!"

"Dr. Jackson! Stand down, man!" Hammond barked.

"I'm going to say this, because you don't have the power to court-marshal me," Daniel spat, ignoring Hammond. "We wouldn't be in this mess if the NID hadn't stuck their noses in – we'd nearly solved it! I don't care what some military tribunal says about Sam being responsible for this. I'm holding _you_ personally responsible for Jack's loss and any lasting damage to Sam, or losses suffered by us or our allies, because of it."

Teal'c observed the fiery exchange silently. He knew Daniel was a strong and passionate soul, but this sheer expressive display was a surprise even to him. The Jaffa briefly entertained the idea of tugging him back down to his seat to spare him the General's bad temper, but decided he wholeheartedly agreed with the enraged archaeologist. Teal'c simply continued to watch as Daniel stormed out of the briefing room without permission, leaving an uneasy pause.

"You would do well to watch your words in future, SenatorKinsey," Teal'c commented. "Your actions have, in his eyes and mine, cost us a close and noble friend."

"Nevertheless, we still have a lot to consider," Hammond said. "If the Goa'uld have Colonel O'Neill's knowledge, the security of both us and our allies has been compromised. Changes have to be made ASAP…"

* * *

After the briefing, Teal'c immediate made his way to the infirmary. Daniel was already there, sitting on the edge of Sam's bed. 

"MajorCarter," he greeted solemnly. "Have you improved at all today?"

Casting her eyes down, she nodded slightly.

"Janet was saying Sam could be moved to her base quarters later today," Daniel said as Teal'c pulled up a stool. "Sorry about marching out like that. How did the rest of the meeting go?"

"SenatorKinsey appeared most displeased for the remainder, but GeneralHammond has issued orders for the Tok'ra and the rebel Jaffa to be informed and relocated on new planets due to the possibility of imminent attack, now that the Goa'uld will undoubtedly know where they are located. SenatorKinsey has departed, intending to highly recommend to the President increased resources to the X-302 and X-303 projects. They are our only defence against an attack by Hatak motherships."

"Let's hope it's enough," Daniel commented. "All GDO codes need to be changed too, as well as security codes on base."

"But it still doesn't make sense," Sam muttered, eyes closed.

"Sam?"

"MajorCarter?"

"It was so surreal…"

"What are you talking about, Sam?" Daniel urged.

"Einar knew who and what the Goa'uld are – why did he prefer being a host? That's worse than death," she breathed. "His eyes too… they glowed blue, constantly. Normal Goa'uld never do that."

"Maybe he saw things differently," Daniel offered, "and the Innarim weren't entirely normal, were they?"

"The GDO… if he was trying to kill me by throwing me against the iris, why did he use the GDO device _on purpose_ and then pass it to me before shoving me through," Sam looked distant, confused. "Why was a Goa'uld trying to save me at all?"

"Perhaps something of O'Neill lingered, however briefly," Teal'c suggested. "It may have affected the Goa'uld and he was unable to kill you."

"Maybe," she sighed. "It doesn't matter now, but I can't help feeling it's something more than that. Wishful thinking?"

"I guess we'll find out," Daniel said, patting her hand.

* * *

Hammond looked up from the new heap of paper on his desk merely a few days later, dealing with the new arrangements and changes for all concerned. A knock on his office door allowed him a welcome break in the paperwork. 

"Come in."

He set his pen down and gestured for Sam to sit as she entered smartly.

"Major, how are you feeling?"

Sam nodded hesitantly as she took the seat opposite the base commander: "Better, sir. I wanted to say thank you for not court-marshalling me, sir. I know you could be risking a lot by defending me."

"Give yourself some credit, Major," he smiled encouragingly. "Your service record and your reputation as the top practical expert on gate technology are a couple of things keeping you around here."

"I also have a request, sir. Permission to assist the research being done here at the SGC, General."

"Dr. Frasier has recommended you be taken off-duty, Major," Hammond reminded. "I agree with her."

"Yes, sir, but I'm finding it a bit…"

"…boring?"

"Yes, sir. I believe having something to concentrate on would really help me get back on track," she said.

"Well, being taken off active duty _can_ be interpreted as just not taking part in any offworld missions. I can't see any danger in you assisting the scientists on the base," Hammond reasoned, pulling free some of the numerous papers on his desk. "In fact, I had a feeling you wouldn't be able to sit still. The President has expressed an interest in further study of Hakonan technology, the Innarim in particular. I'm told this is the closest we've come to legitimately acquiring advanced alien technology other than what we've been able to scavenge from the Goa'uld, and it could give us the advantages we need. I've been ordered to arrange a series of missions to known Hakonan planets to gather further information and technology where possible. Dr. Jackson will be assisting with translations at Stoneheim with SG-9 and a group of scientists. Teal'c is being temporarily assigned to SG-3 while they go back to Hakon to search the ruins more thoroughly. However, I need to assign someone as a liaison between the SGC and Area 51 to coordinate and assist study of anything new we bring back to Earth. If it turned out that you had improved by now, I was hoping to post you to this role. If you're interested, of course…"

"Yes, sir. Of course, sir," Sam allowed herself the ghost of a smile.

"I just want to be absolutely sure…" Hammond softened a little. "Sam, are you sure this is a way of coping rather than running away?"

Sam looked down, panicked by the way the General had said that… like he knew that, to her, the latest fallen soldier wasn't just another casualty of war…

"Don't worry, this is strictly off-the-record," Hammond assured.

"I'm not even sure myself, sir," she admitted. "It's better than doing nothing, though."

"Very well, Major," he nodded. "Sign these and return them to me when you're positive you want to go ahead with the position."


	18. Chapter 18: Father and Daughter

_Thanks for the reviews! Interesting comments from Rionach O'Neill and Stoko. It's encouraging to see people considering the different possibilities, but I'm not going to confirm or deny anything out of fear of giving anything away. All will become clear eventually_** - **_cue evil laugh__! In the meantime, here's a new chapter._

NOTE: for this chapter, _italic text _signifies Selmac and **_bold/italic text _**is for Jacob, rather than Einar and Jack.

**Chapter 18: Father and Daughter**

Three months passed, with gradual progress from both the teams on Hakon and at Stoneheim. Translations of how the stasis cells worked were sent back by Daniel, and Teal'c reported SG-3's discovery of some kurstallis mines on the outskirts of the Hakonan city. Sam kept her mind on both, directing the scientists and examining the data they received.

The Tok'ra and rebel Jaffa had arranged a meeting with General Hammond, and so she had ensured she was at the SGC in order to attend. When she arrived at the briefing room, her father greeted her sadly, with a hug and a few words, before resuming his position next to Anise. Sam sat opposite her father, and nodded respectfully to Master Bra'tac further along the table.

"General Hammond," Anise began. "The Tok'ra wish to express their gratitude in your assistance in our relocation to a new base of operations. We believe the swift warning of possible danger may have saved many Tok'ra, and also express our condolences at the loss of Colonel O'Neill."

"As do the rebel Jaffa," Bra'tac added. "On both matters. We can only hope that the Tauri remain safe, since you cannot relocate your entire population as we can."

"Both the Tok'ra and Jaffa are very welcome," Hammond said.

"The Tok'ra have some unexpected but welcoming news for you, General," Jacob continued. "As you know, it was expected this new Goa'uld with both O'Neill and Einar's knowledge would try and curry favour with the System Lords, or at least attempt to climb the ranks by attacking the Tauri himself. However, we have observed no major shifts in power and there is no evidence that any Goa'uld is actively marshalling forces to attack Earth. They continue to fight among themselves."

"Earth _is_ part of the Protected Planets Treaty with the Asgard," Hammond reminded. "It could be what's holding them back."

"I don't think so, sir," Sam interjected. "The Goa'uld could easily wipe us out with a surprise attack from space, before the Asgard have a chance to react to the breach of the treaty. Even if they can help us in time, the Asgard are fighting the Replicators in their own galaxy and don't have the resources to sustain a war with the Goa'uld. The Colonel knew that, sir."

"So from all the evidence, the Goa'uld should be attacking?"

"Yes, sir."

"This is not the only unusual news, Hammond of Texas," Bra'tac spoke. "I am here formally to request supplies and equipment for the rebel Jaffa, but it is the reason behind the request that should be of interest. Over the last month, there has been a large influx of new Jaffa to our cause. They say that their nameless new god disappeared some time ago, leaving all the Jaffa under him to do as they wished. They came to us as they believed he had abandoned them and so was no god. Only a few had actually seen this new Goa'uld, and most of those who had feared to speak of him. Several who dared tell me anything claimed he was like a beast, and often paced about and ranted to himself in a strange language."

"It sounds like that was the Goa'ulded Einar and Jack," Hammond commented. "Do these Jaffa have any idea where he went?"

"None," Bra'tac shook his head apologetically. "He seemed to simply vanish from the planet one day."

"It certainly goes against typical Goa'uld behaviour," said Anise.

"Maybe it wasn't the Goa'uld," Sam suggested. "When Thor did some scans, he said the Innarim neurology was complicated even for the Asgard. It could be that the Goa'uld and Innarim brain patterns didn't blend in the normal way."

"That is not unheard of," Selmac spoke through Jacob. "On the occasions that a symbiote fails to properly blend with a host, rare cases exist of insanity rather than death. Of course, we cannot know for sure, but this is the best explanation so far."

* * *

With the immediate crisis over, Jacob had taken some time away from the Tok'ra to spend with Sam. The drive from the base was short and silent, but Jacob remembered seeing his daughter flinch at several details during the meeting – namely, the mention of Colonel O'Neill's infestation, and the prospect of him being driven mad along with the minds of the other two. Selmac commented on his musing. 

_She is trying hard to conceal everything. She fears you would be disappointed in her._

Jacob gave a subtle nod, unnoticed by Sam, as he inwardly replied.

**_I might've been an Air Force General, but she really should remember I'm her _father_ as well._**

_You should talk to her then, Jacob, as her father._

He waited until both of them were settled inside before catching Sam with a knowing look and patting the space next to him on the sofa. She sighed as if she knew it had been coming.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get away from the Tok'ra before now, but with the relocation-"

"I understand."

"George suspects something's up, Sam," Jacob said. "He thinks you're planning on resigning."

"Dad, I'm fine."

"Are you?"

That simple question once again dredged up her doubts, which she had strived to keep under the lid for week after week. In the following silence, the question went unanswered, and Sam merely rested her chin on her hand. There was no point trying to hide it from him – he knew her too well. Jacob squeezed her shoulder encouragingly.

"General Hammond asked me a few months ago if I was coping, or just running away," she said, looking down. "I think I've figured out which one."

"What's bothering you, then?"

"Lots of things. I took SG-1 for granted – it's hard to get used to having the team broken up, and I don't get to see Daniel and Teal'c much anymore. This new post is more of a strain than I thought too, with the travelling between the SGC and Area 51."

"You're thinking about leaving because of that?"

"Not just that. The whole situation is a mess. None of it makes sense. We should've been attacked by now, and the fact that we haven't is scaring me more than the idea of being attacked itself. I keep waking up in the middle of the night and I'm not sure my head can take much more of this."

"What about Jack?" Jacob pushed.

Sam visibly stiffened, and shifted uncomfortably: "What do you mean?"

"Come on, Sam," he chided. "Don't play dumb with me. I can tell you miss him."

"Yeah," she sighed, covering her face. "I miss him. I know I shouldn't but-"

Jacob wrapped one arm around her shoulders, pulling his daughter to him: "Sam, you can't force yourself not to feel something."

"I know…" she wiped her eyes, keeping her gaze fixed on her hands resting in her lap. "I know he's gone. I saw Wotan implant him with a symbiote. Even if there was something left of his mind after being driven insane, what are the chances of us finding him again? But I still can't help hold out hope that there's some way of getting him back."

"Then stay," Jacob advised. "How will you ever find any answers if you leave the SGC for good?"

"You're right, Dad," she sniffed. "I'd better…"

The conversation was interrupted as Sam's phone trilled urgently, and she took the opportunity to escape the discomfort by darting up to answer it. As she spoke to the caller Jacob conversed with his symbiote.

_Samantha was truly in quite a dilemma. She long felt for him, but feared the consequences._

_**Still worried I'd be disappointed in her… they both chose career and duty…**_

_Perhaps they were protecting each other._

"Dad, I have to head back to the mountain," Sam cut through the unspoken conversation. "Something's wrong."

* * *

Hammond was in the control room, directing Walter to dial the stargate, as Sam arrived back. 

"What's happening, sir?"

"SG-9 failed to make their scheduled check-in," he said grimly. "We tried to make contact half-an-hour ago, but there was no response. We're trying again now."

"Did you do a diagnostic of the MALP's systems?"

"Yes, Major," Walter confirmed. "Everything looked fine."

The gate kawooshed into life, and Hammond grabbed the microphone firmly: "SG-9, this is General Hammond, please respond."

Silence.

"Dr. Jackson, please respond."

Silence.

"If any SGC personnel can hear this, please come in."

Nothing.

"Patch through video feed from the MALP."

Sam took the seat in front of the monitor and the screen flicked into life. It showed the familiar, rocky terrain and mountain ranges of Stoneheim. Sam panned the camera about before fixing on something.

"Oh my god," she breathed.

In the stargate clearing, both pointing their staff weapons at the MALP, were _two_ Innarim…

…and neither of them were Einar.


	19. Chapter 19: Act of War

_Thanks for the reviews - very encouraging to see people enjoying this, particularly as it's my first attempt at SG-1 fanfiction. I've finally managed to map out most of the plot now, so I hope the rest is entertainting for you as well. Sorry about this being a short chapter. Note to feb04: don't worry, it'd be too evil for me to not have Jack return at all. _**  
**

**Chapter 19: Act of War**

"You're certain neither of them was Einar," Hammond paced around his desk, arms crossed and mind racing.

"Almost positive, sir," Sam replied, sharing in the General's anxiousness. "I'm no expert on the Innarim, but Einar had some distinctive differences. Especially now he's a host."

"I thought he was the only survivor?"

"We _assumed_ he was the only one left, sir," Sam corrected. "Obviously more survived, and we have no idea how many of them there are."

Teal'c, having been recalled from Hakon with SG-3, inclined his head thoughtfully, "And they did not make any demands."

"Well, they didn't reply to the hails over the MALP," Hammond said. "Either they don't understand or they didn't want to talk."

"What of DanielJackson?"

"We can only assume Dr. Jackson and the rest of the SG personnel at Stoneheim have been captured by hostile aliens at this point," Hammond sat at his desk wearily. "I've contacted the Pentagon on the matter. Due to there being both SG-9 and a team of scientists in the balance here, I'm confident they'll authorise some kind of rescue mission where appropriate."

* * *

In the icy blue light of a cramped Innarim prison cell, Daniel sat with his back against the roughly hewn stone of the wall. All of them at the Stoneheim lab had been dragged into some kind of underground cave system, infused here and there with alien-looking technology. He remembered the previous day grimly. Out of nowhere, a group of the strange wolf creatures had appeared at the edge of their camp. The first he knew of it was when shouts and gunshots had broken the quiet tinkering of the scientists, followed by the _thwop-thwop-thwop_ of staff weapons. Daniel thought it was Jaffa at first. Two of the Innarim were cut down by bullets as SG-9 abandoned their roles as diplomats seemingly out of the surprise visit from such imposing creatures. It hadn't taken the warriors long to disable all of them using their curious weapons of blue energy, rendering them unconscious.

The soldiers and scientists seemed disposed to sit in separate groups, preferring the company of their peers even in silence. The leader of SG-9, Major Kovachek, glanced over at Daniel, exasperated.

"I though Major Carter said there were no other-"

"I know," Daniel cut in.

"I was told this planet was abandoned."

"I know. Can you just keep it down while I try and remember how their language is spoken?"

Daniel shuffled along to the bars of the cell, peering through at the two guards nearby. The Innarim immediately snapped their heads around, alerted by the sound, and stared icily at the archaeologist. Tentatively, Daniel gestured for them to come closer. The warriors didn't move.

"Erm… venn, ikke ond," Daniel pointed at everyone in the cell, including himself. "Venn."

Blinking, but maintaining his stony expression, one guard marched slowly over to the cell, glaring down at Daniel.

"Beklagelse," Daniel went on, pointing upwards.

"What're you saying, Dr. Jackson?" Major Kovachek probed impatiently.

"I'm telling them that we're friends, not enemies," he recounted. "That we regret what happened on the surface."

Abruptly, the Innarim kicked the bars of the cell right beside Daniel, forcing him to instinctively back away. Dropping onto all fours so that they were eye-to-eye, the creature snarled and spoke.

"Friends do not shoot at friends!"

"You can speak our language?" Daniel observed.

"Evidently," it bit back. "Now tell me - the Innarim in the stasis cell – what have you done with him?"

"N… nothing," Daniel said. "He wasn't there when we arrived."

"Then how do you explain your human companion in his place?" At his silence, the Innarim bared his teeth and snapped threateningly. "So you conceal your knowledge… let us see how loose your superiors' tongues are! Take him to the stargate!"

* * *

Sam ran to the control room as the klaxons blared the warning of an incoming wormhole. The iris remained safely shut, and she joined General Hammond and Teal'c.

"We're getting an audio signal, General," Walter stated.

"Patch it through."

"_I am Haldor of Stoneheim."_

"This is General Hammond of Stargate Command. We suspect you are holding some of our people as prisoners, and demand their safe return if that is the case."

"_Your people… are responsible for the deaths of two of my fellow warriors, General Hammond," _the deep, husky voice dripped with distaste._ "This is an act of war – you are in no place to demand anything of us."_

"Haldor, my people are under orders not to fire unless they deem it necessary for the safety of our personnel," Hammond assured cautiously. "I'm sure any hostile action was due to some misunderstanding."

"_Yes, that is what THIS one said."_

The General exchanged a surprised look with Sam, and she needed no verbal prompting. She activated the video feed on the MALP. The image fuzzed to life on the screen, and they saw two Innarim standing either side of Daniel. The archaeologist was kneeling down with his hands behind his head, but was not visibly injured in any way. Sam sighed in relief at that. One of the Innarim, presumably Haldor, had a Vapen blade activated and was holding it dangerously close to Daniel.

"_He is not very informative," _Haldor said. _"I am not inclined to so easily believe his claim that you mean my kind no harm."_

"_General, I'm not sure why, but I did hear SG-9 fire first," _Daniel's voice was regretful.

"_All of your personnel, including the one held in stasis, remain alive. However, if you wish for them to return to you alive, return the Innarim Einar to Stoneheim!"_

"They think we've stolen him?" Sam frowned.

"We do not have custody of Einar," Hammond retorted into the microphone. "In fact, we have no idea where he is."

"_Your ruse will not fool me," _Haldor snapped. _"Yet, if you speak truly, I suggest you find him very quickly."_

The second Innarim lowered his staff and fired a blast directly at the MALP. The screen went black save for the blinking of the red 'transmission interrupted' text. Sam sat back in the control room seat, desperately hoping the Pentagon wouldn't have a sadistic change of policy on mounting rescues.

"General, sir," one of the technicians holding a phone said. "It's Dr. Frasier. She's requesting you in isolation room 3, sir. Apparently, Commander Thor has just appeared down there with a… giant wolf…"


	20. Chapter 20: Second Revelations

_OK, I hope this chapter explains a few things for you. Thanks to the great reviewers! I'm glad you like the story enough to read this far. Be sure to let me know what you think through the medium of reviews LOL! _

**Chapter 20: Second Revelations**

Sam immediately recognised Einar, tied down with restraints in the isolation room. She hesitated at the door with General Hammond and Teal'c. The Innarim wasn't struggling, or even moving much, but she could still see the blue glow of his eyes though they were barely open. Thor and Janet were standing next to him, looking at the three figures waiting by the door.

"General Hammond," Thor greeted. "Forgive my unannounced arrival."

"Don't worry about that, Commander Thor," Hammond said as he finally entered the room. "What's going on here?"

"O'Neill and Einar contacted the Asgard again several days ago at Cimmera. He gave little explanation as to his return, but we had made great progress with our earlier scans of the Innarim brain structure. With further scans, I believe I have been able to safely identify the two neurological patterns," Thor explained.

"You mean you can transfer the Colonel back?" Sam asked.

"Yes, Major Carter," Thor nodded slowly. "We only need O'Neill's physical body to complete the transfer."

"But is this creature not now a Goa'uld?" Teal'c reminded.

"We detected no Goa'uld within the Innarim body," Thor answered, looking at Teal'c dubiously. "Has something occurred that he has not divulged?"

"I witnessed Einar being implanted with a Goa'uld symbiote," Sam said, wincing at the memory. "Where did it go?"

"There is evidence that he _was_ once a host," Thor continued. "His blood contains traces of naquadah and the unique protein marker present in yourself, Major Carter. Surely you can sense it?"

"Yes, but a Goa'uld wouldn't save the host if it was dying. The toxins should've killed Einar."

They all looked over at the Innarim, eyes now fully closed. He was still breathing, steadily as in sleep. Sam let her eyes drift to the armband he was now wearing again. The light wasn't on at all – any inhabiting minds were dormant – but she was glad it wasn't the angry crimson that had signified the symbiote. She still had many questions and fears, but one weight was lifted from her shoulders: Einar and Jack _weren't _an insane Goa'uld.

"So what's wrong with him at the minute?" Hammond quizzed.

"It looks like he's just physically exhausted," Janet replied. "He probably hasn't slept in a while. Other than that he seems fine… but this _is_ the first Innarim Thor and I have ever actually come across, so there's no way of telling for sure."

"Well, we have another problem, Commander Thor," Hammond sighed. "Our teams on Stoneheim have been captured by further Innarim survivors we were previously unaware of. Colonel O'Neill's body is still in stasis at the Stoneheim lab, and I cannot send any further personnel to the planet without authorisation from my superiors."

"Yet, we cannot send Einar to Stoneheim while O'Neill's mind is still within. Would it not be possible for an Asgard transport beam to reacquire O'Neill's body from orbit?" Teal'c suggested.

"The stasis cell was integrated into the lab structure," Sam shook her head. "And I'm guessing that transporting out the Colonel straight to a normal environmental situation while he's still in suspended animation would kill him."

* * *

"Crrr…tur…"

Sam and Janet both jumped away from the medical bed, the deep Innarim voice cutting through the gentle humming of the equipment. There was a faint resonance of Goa'uld distortion behind it. Janet signalled for the SFs by the door to stay focused.

"Car…ter… hey…"

Sam didn't have to look at the armband to know who was in control. There was a sense of déjà vu, harking back to the anoxia-suffering O'Neill waving lethargically from the drifting X-301. She took a single step towards the restrained Innarim. Jack let his head fall sideways and opened his glowing eyes a crack.

"Sir?"

"Sorry about… the voice," he rasped, "and eyes… side-effect."

"Side-effect of what, Colonel?" Janet probed, hanging back.

"Goa'uld."

Janet scribbled something down on her clipboard and backed out: "Not that I don't believe Thor, but I'm ordering an MRI to be absolutely sure he's not a Goa'uld."

"Don't worry, sir," Sam gave a small smile at Jack's low growl. "She's just being thorough."

He nodded wearily, blinking rapidly in an effort to stay awake. The armband flickered to blue as Sam edged closer and took a seat next to him. Einar, now wielding control, sighed heavily.

"Sam…I'm sorry. I know how it… must have looked… but I did not betray you…"

Sam frowned and leant in closer to hear his low voice.

"You must have… hated me… for all these months."

"I did at first," Sam stated lowly. "Lately I just haven't had the energy."

Einar met her stare with deep sincerity: "There was _no other way_."

"What do you mean?"

"To… save your life."

Sam sat back at the admission. Yet another round of questions bombarded Sam's mind. Once again she found herself wondering who exactly was behind the actions and words. Was it Einar, ultimately proving how far he'd go to help them out? Had Jack's principle of keeping his team safe above all else rubbed of onto the Innarim? Could it be equally from both of them?

"I knew that Wotan… could have decided either way… you for your knowledge, or me from the physical advantages. I couldn't leave it to chance… Admitting O'Neill is in here too… was the only way I could be sure he'd look a fool to choose you over me."

"But why you, and what happened to the Goa'uld?"

"All Innarim have a decade of intense… mental training, strengthening our minds, and we are immune to the symbiote toxins. We attack the Goa'uld… by coaxing them into taking us as hosts. The true weapons of the Innarim are not the Vapenvulv, or our physical strength and speed. It is the fact that our consciousness… is powerful enough to _destroy_ a Goa'uld from _within_."

"Then… that's why I could sense naquadah when we first got you out of the stasis cell," Sam said. "You've been a host _before_."

"Yes. With O'Neill's mind in combination with my own, the symbiote didn't stand a chance… It has long since decayed by now."

"So you knew exactly what you were doing the entire time."

Einar nodded: "I had to be sure I was chosen – we could beat it, where you could not. O'Neill and I were in command – getting you taken to the stargate, killing Wotan, sending the GDO signal… that was all our doing."

Sam smiled at him gratefully, squeezing his shoulder before looking away pensively. Einar was explaining everything to her, because he believed it was her right to know. Yet, she still believed it was his right to know about his true nature, no matter how badly he might take it. Especially now, after all of his effort, she owed him that.

"Einar, we found some information about the Innarim in that database we recovered. It said that," Sam swallowed nervously, "… that the Innarim were genetically engineered and created by the Hakonans to fight the Goa'uld. The strength, the speed, the mental training, the toxin immunity…"

Einar just looked at her blankly.

"You're a _weapon_, Einar," she summarised.

He continued his expressionless gaze, even blinking a few times, as he processed it. Yet, to Sam's surprise, the wolf was not tugging against the restraints in a vain attempt to strangle her. Einar looked almost… expectant.

"Your point being…?"


	21. Chapter 21: The Best Laid Plans

_Sorry for the longer-than-usual wait for this new chapter - I was away for a week in the Highlands of Scotland. Nice place to visit, especially Loch Ness. Anyway, here's the next part. Thanks to the great reviewers._

_Note to Stoko: since I started the fic, I've seen all of seasons 6 and 7, but not 8 so far. If what you're referring to is to do with the end of Season 7, I think I know what you mean. Whatever happens beyond that in Season 8 is unknown to me. If Carter's dialogue in the last chapter contradicts something that happens in the programme, this is why. Oops - I'll just have attribute it to differences in the technology to save myself from shame LOL. Thanks for being a consistent reviewer!  
_

_Note to Tatsu-ZZmage: glad to hear you like the ideas and basis. As you say, making up technology is tricky. I'm no expert on science - I only studied it to compulsory secondary education level - so I just tried to invent something that sounded half-believable, and crystal-based technology _is _used by the Goa'uld. I imagined some kind of variation on that. I wasn't sure how plausable it would really be. Anyway, thanks for the comments!  
_

**Chapter 21: The Best Laid Plans…**

Sam jerked away from the Innarim, almost in indignation: "You knew? All this time and you already knew?"

"All Innarim know," he shrugged as best he could in restraints.

"But… but doesn't it bother you? That you're created for a specific purpose beyond your own control? A means to an end rather than an end in itself."

"Not really, Sam," Einar said. "We never really saw it that way. I always found it comforting to know that. Humans spend a lot of time worrying about the meaning of life and what the grand purpose is – we don't have that. We've always known _exactly_ what we're supposed to do. Life is more straightforward for an Innarim."

"If the Hakonans created you, then they decided that purpose for you," Sam insisted. "It would never be _your_ choice."

"No," Einar shook his head firmly. "The Hakonans respected us as equals, and Innarim lived alongside them. ALL Innarim could choose whether or not to fight the Goa'uld. The Hakonans let us choose that for ourselves, and we could stop at any time we wished. We weren't slaves…"

Einar yawned wearily.

"What about the programming? You do know all Innarim are genetically programmed to die after 1000 years, right?"

"Everything dies," he replied, drifting slowly back towards sleep. "Do you resent the Universe for allowing humans to evolve to their current state as mortal creatures? Our mortality simply makes us more alive, as much like you, as possible."

"It still doesn't seem right, somehow," Sam sighed. "Would the Hakonans really create something if it can so easily turn to doing something completely different from its actual purpose?"

"You dug out an iced-over DHD using a _combat knife_ in Antarctica. I'm sure it wasn't designed for _that_."

"I suppose," she conceded, then frowned. "Why did the Colonel tell you about Antarctica?"

There was no answer.

The Innarim had fallen back into his exhausted sleep.

* * *

General Hammond strode into Major Carter's lab, finding the soldier-scientist running a hesitant eye over the Vapenvulv bracers removed from Einar/Jack while they stayed in the infirmary. Sam was as eager as ever to look at new technology, but didn't think Einar would be too happy about it, particularly after he had made it clear he wasn't willing to pass on more information just before the two of them gated out to escape the NID. Yet, she remembered something he had said later: _Why not? If we're going to be relying on each other… _

The General cleared his throat, and Sam jumped to attention.

"Sir."

Hammond waved at her to stand at ease, "Any progress here?"

"Not much, sir. I know basically how this technology works and what it does, but not enough to completely understand these things," she gestured to the Vapenvulv. "Any word from the Pentagon, sir?"

"Yes, they've authorised a rescue mission," Hammond said. "However, since the technology is the best bet we've come across so far for advanced weapons and shields, they've made it clear only non-lethal weapons are to be used. They want us to avoid annoying them too much, so we've got a better chance of negotiating later."

"I think they're way past annoyed, sir," Sam commented.

"I noticed, but we can't just turn Einar over to them – not while Jack's still in there too. Even if he wasn't, I don't know enough about these other survivors to send him there. They seemed a little too eager to have Einar back."

"Maybe they just don't like leaving their own behind?" Sam suggested.

"Probably," the General replied. "Thor put forward that they're like the Tok'ra - they're relatively few in number. Without the Hakonans, more aren't being created. With a zero-to-negative population growth, they need all the Innarim they have left. Dr. Fraiser tells me that he's still unconscious."

"The only time I've seen him awake, he fell asleep before I could tell him anything about Stoneheim. So, what weapons can the rescue team take? Zats won't work against kurstallis shields. That just leaves tranquiliser darts."

"That's all I'm authorising. We do have another problem – the gate at Stoneheim is guarded by Innarim. Anyone going through would be taken out immediately, and with a broken MALP we have no way of detecting where they're standing, to fire from this side of the wormhole."

"They'll just shoot any other MALPs we send through, right?"

Hammond nodded. Sam rubbed her eyes in pensiveness, before looking down at the Vapenvulv again. Slowly, she picked up one of the bracers, turning it over as a smile crept across her face.

"Sir, I have an idea about that."

* * *

As the Stoneheim gate activated, the two Innarim warriors stood ready, brandishing their Hakonan staffs in readiness. After a mere minute or so, Teal'c appeared through the event horizon, a dart gun in his grip. However, he also wore the Vapenvulv bracers. As the gate guards fired, the blue bolts were absorbed by the shielding built into the devices.

Teal'c fired off a dart each at the two Innarim. The small projectiles passed unhindered through the invisible kurstallis shields, and the creatures quickly succumbed to the sleeping drugs.

"General, I have secured the Stargate," Teal'c spoke into the radio.

"_Well done, Teal'c, stand by._"

SG-5 along with Sam, all kitted out with dart guns, followed through the gate. Sam held the end of her gun in the event horizon to hold it open.

"We're all through, sir."

"_You know you're objectives, Major,"_ General Hammond said via the radio link. _"Secure the lab and get Colonel O'Neill. Thor will be monitoring from orbit, and you can contact him with the Asgard stone you have with you. Then find SG-9 and the scientists."_

* * *

The rocky path to the lab was strangely unguarded. Some of SG-5 had commented on the possibility of a trap, until they arrived at a ridge overlooking the cave entrance leading to the Hakonan structure. Several Innarim milled about down by the entrance. Clearly they were complacent, sure that the guards at the gate could deal with mere humans, by only posting guards here and having no patrols along the way.

The warriors below were easily subdued, taken by surprise by the darts. Sam led the way for the others, heading through the tunnel in the rock and into the lab itself. Papers and equipment was scattered about the place, some of which she recognised as belonging to Daniel – pages of notes, his glasses, and a camcorder perched on a console. She was reminded of the video feed from the MALP, with Daniel kneeling down at the mercy of Haldor, and felt a rush or urgency to carry on with the mission as quickly as possible.

On the far wall, just as she last remembered, was the stasis cell containing Jack. At least, the empty shell of Jack. Nevertheless, it felt good to see his face after three months. She deactivated the cell and after a few minutes of defrosting, hauled the mindless body out with Teal'c's help. The Colonel was shivering, presumably a purely physical reaction to the cold stasis. With her free hand, she fished the stone out of her hand and tweaked the controls on it.

"_Major Carter, I am reading your signal. I am detecting that O'Neill is out of stasis._"

"He is, Thor," she confirmed. "It should be safe to beam him up to your ship."

Without further delay, the heavy weight of the Colonel was lifted from Teal'c and her shoulders in a searing white glare.

"_I will attempt the transfer now. Please stand by._"

There was silence as each soldier pointed their weapons out of the doorway, with a clear view down the corridor to the open air outside. The two minutes that followed seemed to pass agonisingly slow. Sam knew that even though there were no patrols, the guards would be relieved at some point by other Innarim – they had no idea how long they had until that occurred.

"_Major, the process was successful. Both O'Neill and Einar are weak but conscious. I have also detected traces of an underground facility east of your position. I will now transport up the rest of you._"

Teal'c was sporting a slight smile, which Sam mirrored. At long last, each of the two minds was now back in the right body. Problem finally solved. Thor would beam them up, scan for Daniel, SG-9 and the scientists, and take them back to Earth.

Yet, nothing more had happened.

"Thor, what's happening?"

"_There is………jamming signal blocking…transport beam……cannot……will return …Earth………you must…the Stargate…return home…"_

The signal dropped out completely. Sam grunted anxiously, attempting vainly to regain contact. She tucked the stone back into her BDU pocket in defeat.

"From what I can tell from Thor, the transport beam is being jammed. The only way back is through the Stargate. We'll have to find the others and backtrack to the gate."

"If the Innarim have activated a jamming signal, then they are aware of our presence," Teal'c observed. "It will be more difficult to proceed."

Sam nodded in agreement: "We'll have to scout around the area east of here to find this facility. It has to be where Daniel and the others are."

* * *

At the SGC, Hammond entered the briefing room, upon the request of an emergency meeting from Dr. Fraiser and Thor. He found the two of them already there, as well as Jack and Einar, both finally restored to their respective bodies. Hammond hesitated, this being the first occasion he had see the Innarim awake.

Both Einar and Jack were sitting with their heads resting on their crossed arms, both having what looked like a glaring contest. They regarded each other strangely. Yet, when he entered the room, they stopped and stood up along with Dr. Fraiser. He gestured for them to sit.

"Thor, as glad as I am to see these two back as they should be, where are Major Carter, Teal'c and SG-5? Not to mention SG-9, Dr. Jackson and the rest of the scientists? Is this what the emergency meeting is about?"

"Yes, General Hammond," the grey alien nodded solemnly. "Before I could transport the others to the ship, the other Innarim must have realised something was happening. They activated a-"

"What!"

"What other Innarim?"

Jack and Einar sat upright sharply, eyes wide. Hammond looked between Janet and Thor, "These two still don't know?"

"We returned here immediately and requested this meeting. Thus far there has been no time," Thor explained.

"Apparently there are an undetermined number of other Innarim who survived the Goa'uld attacks," Hammond said.

"What!" he pair barked simultaneously.

"They're on Stoneheim, but they ran into SG-9 and there was some misunderstanding. The Innarim have SG-9, Dr. Jackson and a team of scientists captive. One of them, who calls himself Haldor, demanded we turn Einar over. They think we've taken Einar prisoner."

"For cryin' out loud!" they exclaimed in unison, earning looks from the others present.

"Stop that," Jack growled at the Innarim.

"Major Carter, Teal'c and SG-5 went through to Stoneheim to get you out of stasis, and Thor transported you out so you could be transferred back. The plan _was_ to beam out any more of our people still on the planet. What's happening, Thor?"

"The Innarim must have activated some kind of jamming signal when they realised someone had come through the Stargate without being apprehended. I was unable to transport anyone to or from the surface, and it interfered with communications," the Asgard said. "I returned O'Neill and Einar here, and came to inform you of the situation. With the signal active, I could be of very little help in orbit."

"The team have GDOs," Hammond reminded. "If and when they recover SG-9 and the others, they can use the Stargate to get back."

"Well, yeah," Jack tapped his fingers nervously on the table, "they can gate home, sir, but if the Innarim know they're there, they'll be looking for them!"

"All SG personnel are the best of the best, Colonel, remember?"

"They're part wolf, General," Jack retorted. "They can hear or smell humans from much further than we can see them. They'll find them easily! We have to do something, sir."

"I can't risk sending more people if it's as dangerous as you say," Hammond stated. "The Innarim view us as an enemy."

"Perhaps I can convince them otherwise?" Einar cut in calmly. "They might listen to another Innarim. After all, they demanded me back."

* * *

Light years away, Jack's prediction was proving bitterly true. Out of the rocky terrain, each member of SG-5 was knocked into unconsciousness by a blast of blue energy, followed by Sam herself. Teal'c spun about, eyes scanning for any sign of their assailants. No weapons were fired at him - the Innarim realised this time it would prove pointless. Instead the strong Jaffa went down under weight of two of the fierce creatures as they pounced at him from the ledges above. 


	22. Chapter 22: Forraeder

_Thanks for reviewing the last chapter, Stoko. Here's the next bit. After I finished this part and re-read it to proofread it, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it (good or bad) - review to let me know what _you _think._

**Chapter 22 – Forraeder**

Jack and Einar stood on the ramp in the gateroom. Hammond looked down at them from the control room. Thor would be waiting in orbit around Stoneheim. The General frowned as he watched the two soldiers – one human, one Innarim – loitering about, waiting for the gate to finish dialling. Colonel O'Neill had asked worryingly few questions for one who wanted the important details before heading out into hostile territory. Einar was also without his bracers and the protection they provided.

He could only hope they knew what they were doing.

They were once again giving each other strange looks. He turned to Janet alongside him: "Are you sure they're both alright?"

"Thor cleared them while they were on the Asgard ship, and I looked them both over before they prepped for the mission. They seem fine."

"Then what's all this about?" he gestured at the two glancing at each other on the ramp.

"They've only just met face to face, sir," Janet shrugged. "It must be strange for them after being trapped in a single body for so long."

"Let's hope it doesn't interfere."

The General could see Jack fishing for something in one of his pockets, grinning triumphantly as he pulled out a simple whistle on a loop of string. Einar looked momentarily startled and flattened his ears. Hammond guessed the Colonel had swiped it from the base gym.

"Colonel, why are you taking that?" he asked over the control room microphone.

"This is how we take out anyone guarding the gate on the other side."

* * *

As Jack stepped through, mouthpiece of the whistle held between his teeth to leave his hands free for a dart gun, he blew as hard as possible. The piercing shriek had an immediate effect – the guards dropped their weapons to cover their flattened ears. He tranquilised each of the Innarim as the ringing in their skulls lingered. After a timed gap, Einar stepped through the gate, his own dart gun ready.

"Half of Stoneheim would've heard that," Jack said, looping the whistle around his neck. "You take point."

With the no-nonsense attitude of a warrior, Einar nodded once and jogged ahead. Jack made sure the wolf was constantly in front of him as they traversed the rocky landscape using outcrops and cliffs as cover. Even after spending months trapped with his mind, he was suspicious of what Einar might do. Could _he_ sneak around Cheyenne mountain, and possibly even open fire on people, if he returned to SGC after believing everyone dead for a large chunk of his life? He doubted it. Deep down it was an 'us-or-them' instinct, and since Einar and himself had been separated before they found out about the other Innarim he didn't have any indication to what the creature's feelings or motives were. Jack just couldn't trust him to resist that instinct.

Two hundred years ago there was a storage barracks east of the lab, and Einar deduced that the remaining Innarim would have expanded on that to create a permanent camp if they were staying on Stoneheim. The path he traced circled around a large expanse of the area between the lab and gate, in which Jack assumed was an effort to stay away from other Innarim only Einar could sense from a distance, and the stony ground made tracking them difficult. It was possible that others could smell them, but they could only hope that the wolf's stronger scent would mask Jack's own.

"Einar," Jack whispered, knowing the Innarim could hear with his keen senses. "The entrance will be guarded. Then what? You plan on talking to them then?"

The wolf shook his head and padded to a halt under some rocky cover, motioning for Jack to listen: "Search parties would have swept around the gate by now. There'll be reports that whoever came through the gate is hostile. What would they assume if I suddenly waltz up to them with this gun?"

"So we rescue people first, then talk."

They continued on, and with only a little difficulty discovered the downward sloping cave entrance to the facility. As he predicted, three guards were standing by the gap, each with a Hakonan staff weapon.

"I thought you said only a few staffs were built," Jack had to breathe the question almost inaudibly with the guards so close.

"Built more?" Einar shrugged simply, resting the muzzle of the dart gun on the ledge and firing of a single shot at each Innarim.

Seeing that made Jack feel slightly better about working with Einar, but his doubts remained. Willing to fire on his own kind, yes, but with non-lethal weapons… Jack had shot SG personnel before with zats as the situation demanded, and trainees were often on the receiving end of intar shots when he was around. This incident proved little.

"No offence, but for great warriors you guys are easy to take out."

"We fight Goa'uld, not humans," Einar said dryly. "Humans tended to not come looking for us."

They descended into the complex, and found a maze of corridors cut into solid rock. There was little recognisable from Einar's time, but two hundred years was a long time.

"Where is everyone?" Einar commented.

"Well, we don't know how many of them survived – maybe they're all outside looking for us?"

There were signs in Hakonan Norse on each hallway, making progress easier. As they barged into the holding cell area, the faces of the SG-5, SG-9, the rest of SG-1 and a bunch of scientists looked up wearily. Only Sam recognised the Innarim with Jack.

"Colonel, Einar!"

"Everyone alive?" Jack scanned the cells as he helped open each one. "Good. Major Kovachek, grab your gear and lead everyone out of the facility. Head east for half a mile and lie low. Don't make a sound, and only open fire as a last resort."

He gave directions to the exit, and clapped Sam on the shoulder briefly: "Carter, you're with me. We need to shut off the signal so Thor can beam us out."

"Good to see you back to normal, sir."

* * *

Some time later, two scouts returned to the facility, only to find the guards unconscious and the prisoners escaped. Snarling, they prowled deeper into the complex.

* * *

At the lowest level of the facility, Einar, Jack and Sam located a sizable computer. Re-equipped with weaponry (Einar with his bracers and the humans with dart guns), Sam felt far more confident and prepared, but the computer for the jamming signal was using Hakonan Norse.

"I can't read this."

"Let me," Einar ushered her out of the way. "Hopefully it won't be encoded."

"Why encode it? It's not like they're expecting anyone else to be able to turn it off," Jack observed.

"Just in case, sir," Sam said. "Anything important for us is security protected, for the unforeseen."

"And how much more unforeseen is this?" Einar quipped. "The three of us trying to turn off the signal in the heart of the facility."

A bark from the door halted them.

"Halt!"

The two scouts charged into room, weapons ready. They regarded their fellow wolf curiously, wide-eyed.

"Einar?"

Einar nodded briefly with the hint of a smile, "Ulrik, Rasmus."

"That's impossible," one of the pair breathed as they lifted their staffs up. "Your body was in stasis, but your mind was gone. How are you alive now?"

"Too long a tale, Rasmus," Einar said.

"Then the humans let you go at last?" Rasmus guessed, glancing at Jack and Sam. "Or you escaped? Hostages?"

"There's been a mistake, brothers. They…" Einar began.

"What exactly are you doing down here, Einar?" Ulrik narrowed his eyes and looked around the room, aware of where they were. "And why do these two have weapons?"

The two scouts lowered their staffs once more and advanced on the three of them. Sam recognised the vicious, maniacal glint in their eyes that Einar had when he charged straight at six Jaffa. Einar stepped away from the console, making sure he stood fully between the scouts and the humans.

"How did the prisoners escape?" Ulrik went on.

"These humans aren't our true enemy, Ulrik," Einar stated firmly. "I know more of them than you could imagine."

"I know enough to see what they are," Ulrik snapped. "Now, state your true allegiance: us or them."

Jack watched, looking between the three Innarim. His whole body tense, he felt his fears of _that_ instinct resurface. Once again, he thought of whether he could attack Carter, Daniel, Teal'c, Hammond… and couldn't find it in himself to believe he would ever harm his friends. Yet, an odd spark of hope remained – in a desperate decision to do what had to be done, he had once been willing to kill Sam to eliminate the computer entity.

"O'Neill," Einar said lowly, glancing at him over his shoulder.

For a sickening moment, Jack feared he had chosen his own kind over them. Einar grabbed his shoulder.

"Take over," Einar instructed, shoving him towards the console. "You know what to do."

Rasmus and Ulrik fired shots at them, but Einar's shields were blocking the staff blasts. As Einar charged headlong towards the two, staffs were cast aside and Vapen blades left inactivated. In a clash, the three Innarim fought with teeth and claws, energy weapons useless to them. Sam stood by Jack, dart gun raised to cover her CO if necessary, but both Innarim were focusing on Einar. There was no way she could help out Einar either – a dart could easily hit him instead, and leave him helpless.

Einar was the younger and least experienced of the combatants. His training as a warrior hopeless against Innarim who knew the techniques and tactics just as well, he was thrown back, scratched and pummelled. Feigning a typical punch at Ulrik, he swung about and pulled off a black-ops grapple on a stunned Rasmus. Sam watched as he began displaying human hand-to-hand blows and parries, mixed with the 'whatever gets the job done' attitude she suspected Jack had acquired in his classified missions before the SGC. Rules of engagement forgotten and dirty tricks employed, Einar began to ward off the two antagonists.

"Damn," Jack muttered, frantically tapping controls. "Einar, I need a pass-code!"

Sam looked over at the console. It was still all in Hakonan Norse runes and she couldn't make any sense of it at all. She glanced briefly at Jack, confused – he seemed to know exactly what it all said for someone so impatient with other cultures and ancient languages. Einar gave no answer, and Sam looked over in time to see the younger Innarim pounce on Ulrik, going for his throat.

"To hell with this," Jack snarled.

With typical O'Neill impulsiveness, he smashed the butt of his dart gun into the console.

The computer hissed, snapped and buzzed angrily as the icy blue glow of power faded, and an automated voice echoed through the room: _"Klemmende bolge av. Klemmende bolge av."_

"The jamming signal's off," Jack translated. "Come on, Thor, buddy."

Einar was pulled away from Ulrik by Rasmus, who kicked him away forcefully. Rasmus jumped on Einar's back to hold him down, "You are a mad fool, Einar. A fool and a Forraeder!"

Ulrik advanced on the humans, only managing a single swipe at Jack's torso before they were engulfed in a screeching light. Ulrik turned to Rasmus, who was leaning on the floor instead of the now-disappeared Einar.


	23. Chapter 23: Last of the Innarim

_Hello, again. Here's the next part. I'm guessing that after this there'll just be one more chapter, but don't worry - I've been intending to do a sequel to this fic for a while now. In the meantime, enjoy this next section._

_Note to BigRedCanuck: thanks for the compliment on the fic, but to be honest, I don't have a deep understanding of Norse mythology - I just did some brief self-imposed research by looking through an online mythology encyclopedia. Well, at least it seems like it was enough for the story!  
_**  
**

**Chapter 23: Last of the Innarim**

Colonel O'Neill winced and grumbled as an infirmary nurse cleaned the four angry looking welts scratched into his chest: "Thor couldn'ta been two seconds quicker could he?"

"Stop complaining, Colonel," Janet chided, handing the nurse some bandages. "This is nothing compared to some of the others."

"What happened with SG-5 and 9, anyway?"

"Apparently, they were tracked. A group of Innarim attacked them when they were on the surface. Two of SG-9 and one of SG-5 have some serious burns from those energy blades – at the minute there's no way of telling if there's internal burn damage. Daniel and several scientists took a Hakonan staff blast each and couldn't move, but a single shot hasn't caused any permanent damage. They just took a few minutes to remember how to use their limbs."

"Did they stick to tranquiliser darts?" Jack lifted his arms so bandages could be wrapped around his torso.

"Ran out of darts," Janet grimaced. "They began using their P-90s just before Thor picked them up."

"Ugh, the head honchos won't be happy. So much for 'no use of deadly force'."

Amid the bustling activity of the infirmary, Jack could see his Innarim friend also being bandaged as the wolf sat on the infirmary bed. However, Einar had much more than a few scratches – much of his body was wrapped up, with patches of unhappy, ruffled fur sticking through the uncovered areas that escaped unscathed. Jack thought he looked like a wacky cross between a werewolf and a mummy from some cheap horror b-movie, but the aura of misery Einar held stemmed any laughter.

"How's Tuten-ka-wolf over there doing?" Jack asked seriously.

"Physically, he'll heal fine. Some of the deeper scratches will leave scars, though I think whatever happened had some kind of psychological effect. He hasn't said a word the entire time we were fixing him up."

Jack just nodded, and grabbed his black t-shirt as the nurse finished bandaging him. Sam and Daniel turned the corner, giving Janet a quick greeting as the doctor moved on to other wounded personnel. Wincing, Jack pulled on his garment as his team-mates joined him.

"No Teal'c?" he observed.

"He's kelno'reeming," Daniel said. "Not surprised after that skirmish. What-?"

Daniel stopped abruptly. Jack realised both the scientist and the archaeologist had let their lines of sight cross the half-mummified Innarim further down the infirmary. He frowned at the pair of them.

"_Don't_ laugh."

"He… really took a beating," Daniel stated.

"You OK, sir?" Sam questioned her CO.

"Just a few scratches, no problem."

"Can I ask something?" Sam continued on. "Just before we were beamed up, that other Innarim called Einar…"

"Forraeder…" Jack nodded.

"Forraeder?" Daniel echoed nervously.

"You know what that means?"

"It's Hakonan. It means…"

"Traitor," Jack cut in. "It means traitor."

* * *

Several days later, Jack was by the SF-guarded door to the temporary quarters assigned to Einar, knocking firmly on the metal. There was no acknowledgement from within, but with a shrug he opened the door anyway. Einar was sitting cross-legged on the bed. Like Jack himself, the Innarim had his bandages removed. Yet, lines were now permanently etched onto the wolf's face and arms - scars of battle visible even under fur. His own lesions would leave stubborn marks too, but nothing as obvious as Einar's marring.

Einar merely looked over and blinked at him, then closed his eyes. After so much time with the optimistic, curious, chatty alien, the sudden sullen silence chilled even him. Jack shifted his weight from one foot to the other, cursing his lack of prowess at messy emotional and psychological stuff. He felt compelled to do something… _anything_… about Einar, though. Cautiously, he pulled up a chair.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to convince you to say something," he said disarmingly. "You're not on good terms with the rest of the Universe at the minute. Hell, I know what that feels like…"

Einar's eyes opened a chink, regarding him patiently.

"Look, I won't dance around the subject. I want to apologise. I'm sorry about all of this."

"Why?"

The Innarim's voice was low, but without malice.

"You have to admit that being trapped together made us affect each other," Jack insisted. "My mind must've swayed your decision back on the planet, making you more sympathetic to us than your own race."

"Perhaps it was my own choice?"

"But it _was_ hard not to see things from my point of view, remember?" Jack reminded him, recalling Einar's easy acceptance of his own personal opinion of Colonel Kennedy, months before.

"Does it matter why I chose as I did?" Einar intoned. "I can't go back to them now."

"I know, I know…" Jack sighed. "The Highest Law: no attacking friends or aiding foes… but what about keeping your word? That has to rank pretty high up, right?"

"The Highest Law takes precedence."

"Ugh," Jack ran a hand over his face. "And I used to think _you_ were messing up _my_ life. You must really hate me."

"Hate?" Einar gave a dry chuckle. "I'm bitter and angry, yes, but I don't hate you. You're just as much a victim as I am – you never meant for all this to happen. Besides, you trusted me."

"Out of desperation," Jack admitted, cringing.

"Still…" Einar trailed off, striking up a new topic. "You must be glad to be restored to normal, after all your complaining."

"Yeah, but it still feels odd…"

Jack examined his hands, turning them over a few times pensively. He remembered the weird yet novel experience of discovering he had claws for the first time while trapped in an Innarim body. Einar had shared in the dark amusement of Jack's ponderings, as he imagined tearing at various still-living Goa'uld adversaries with them. There were other things he hadn't missed, such as fur while in the sun. He had to keep reminding himself that canines don't sweat and thus he had to pant to avoid frying both of their minds through overheating.

"I'd just got the hang of being a wolf," he said ruefully, "and having a talkative 'roommate'. Now I have to get used to this again – it's quiet."

"Yes," Einar sighed. "Quiet and empty. After so long alone, I enjoyed the company. You know, I grew quite fond of you in there."

"Hmm…most people don't like spending a week with me," he quipped. "I talked to Hammond. Apparently, despite the fact that SG-9 opened fire _and_ we're helping you, the Pentagon wants a team to go back to Stoneheim. For some reason they think we still have a chance at trading for technology – they just won't let go of it. Hammond's letting you go there as well."

"Why take me?"

"These are your people, Einar. I'm not interested in alliances or trading or technology right now. I don't think it'll get anywhere. I think you should talk to them again, explain what's been happening, to see if they'll let you back on Stoneheim." Jack sat forwards seriously. "I think that _is_ worth a second shot."

* * *

The Innarim had learned quickly, and the ones around the gate were hidden behind cover when SG-1 plus Einar stepped through. Much to Jack's vexation, Einar firmly instructed everyone to put down their weapons. There were now five of the warriors guarding the gate, and they recognised the action as one of submissiveness. As they approached them, Jack had to fight the urge to pick up his P-90 again.

Haldor was among the guards present.

"It makes no sense for you to return here," Haldor snapped.

"We're just here to talk," Daniel assured.

"Talk of what? So far the appearance of your people has caused nothing but death and trouble."

"Look, this is all one big mistake you know," Jack cut in with his usual lack of tact. "We didn't mean to trespass, injure, kill… the point is this whole mini-war we've started doesn't have to go any further."

"Why should I listen to humans who make companions of a Forraeder and a Jaffa?"

"Bottom line is," Jack began, "we both want to kick the Goa'uld's asses. Don't you think we'd do a much better job if we're both on the same side?"

"The Tauri are allied to many different races and worlds," Teal'c stated. "Together they have defeated many false gods within a few years alone."

"We're also explorers – we'd like to learn a lot about your culture and history," Daniel added.

"And our leaders are very interested in trading with you – food, raw materials, technology, information…" Sam listed.

"The Innarim need no-one's help!" Haldor grunted, folding his arms. "I remain unconvinced."

"As I said before to Ulrik and Rasmus, humans aren't our true enemies," Einar said. "These ones helped me, saved my consciousness from its prison…"

He gripped Jack's shoulder momentarily: "This one even played host to my mind for some time. I owe them a lot, Haldor."

"You give humans too much credit," the Innarim's voice dripped with disdain. "Weren't you told before you disappeared? It was a Hakonan – a _human_ – who betrayed Hakon to the Goa'uld!"

Einar visibly flinched, but said nothing. In a kind of reaction from his previous link to Einar's mind, Jack was wrenched with sudden despair and sympathy. Haldor continued on, his tone growing more angered.

"Worse still, as we fled to primitive worlds to escape our destroyer, the Goa'uld Anil, the human natives attacked us out of fear. Just as many Innarim fell to humans as to the agents of Anil! Less than 200 of us remained after Anil grew tired of hunting us. It was then we rallied together at Stoneheim, and denounced _any_ allegiance to humanity."

"But the Innarim are half-human," Sam pointed out, but all she earned was a glare from the seething creature.

"You see, Einar," Haldor announced. "Humans may have created us, but it was a human who ultimately destroyed us."

"But not _these_ humans," Einar pressed, growing more desolate. "Does every single one of them across the entire galaxy have to continue suffering the plague of the Goa'uld just because of a single Hakonan? You've forgotten what you truly are, Haldor."

"Silence, Forraeder! The Innarim depend on no-one, trust no others, and fight for no-one else's cause."

Jack fixed the creature with a cold stare, fearless, and his voice was flat as he spoke to Einar without breaking eye contact with Haldor: "You were right, Einar."

Everyone looked at him expectantly.

"You've always been right."

Einar nodded, seemingly in understanding, as Jack concluded:

"You really are the _last_ of the Innarim."

Taking charge, and in spite of anything the Innarim guards might have done in reaction, Jack folded his arms and snapped out his words.

"This ends here," he grunted. "We're leaving, and we're not coming back. Let all of us go home unharmed, and you'll never hear from us again… but if we don't make it back, the SGC will send more troops, armed with much more than we brought with us. Carter, back to the gate and get dialling!"

As the five visitors backtracked to the gate, the Innarim guards followed cautiously but didn't make a move to attack, heeding Jack's words. As the gate activated, Jack shouted back at the warriors hovering a safe distance away: "Don't bother following us back to Earth either. You'll just be crushed!"

They made no acknowledgement, and he muttered to himself, not caring whether they could actually hear with their keen senses: "Not that it'd bother me."

Einar hesitated at the steps of the Stargate, head lowering in grief and stinging with rejection, but composed himself and strode up to the gate, passing through the event horizon without looking back. Jack felt a small spark of admiration for that, as he stepped through himself.


	24. Chapter 24: Parting of Ways

_Thanks go out to everyone who's still reading by this point, but in particular to Sam Carter O'Neill wagtail JEDI,__ Stoko and feb04 for reviewing the previous chapter. After another slightly longer gap than usual (sorry, reality decided to rugby-tackle me again lol) here's the last chapter for your enjoyment._**  
**

**Chapter 24: Parting of Ways**

"Hello, Sam."

Sam stopped immediately as she reached the doorway to Einar's quarters. He had his back turned, packing some things into an SGC military backpack. She frowned to herself: "How did you-"

"Wolf," Einar cut in, pointing to himself. "Did you want something?"

"So they said yes?"

"Yes. I'll be leaving in a few hours. As soon as possible, O'Neill insisted; no point in inviting the NID to try and… _acquire_ me again."

The Innarim was calm, collected and almost world-weary. His voice had a heavy, wistful quality to it. He hadn't even turned around. This was a far cry from the eager, cheeky, optimistic personality she had first met. Yet, it hardly took an expert psychoanalyst to understand why.

"I'm glad Gairwyn agreed," Einar sighed. "The Cimmerans seem so much like the Hakonans… just simpler, more rustic. Daniel tells me she welcomes a friend of Thor and of Earth."

"You could stay here, you know. I'm sure General Hammond could work out _something_ to stop the NID laying some stupid claim on you."

"Trapped under a mountain? No…"

Einar tugged the bag closed, and finally turned. It was a slow, solemn movement that echoed the mood, and as his face was revealed, Sam was struck with an insight. The sad eyes held a new glitter of dangerousness and maturity; the scars rent down his face were borne like marks of experience; his tall, proud stance that defied his previous nonchalance; the light-hearted openness that had been replaced by self-containment…

"You look… older," Sam commented.

"Strange, isn't it?" he gave a wry smile. "I've lived for 263 years, and I've grown more in the past few months than in all that time."

"But are the last few months the reason why?" Sam pushed.

The defeated sighed Einar gave out was evidence enough. _Because, _she reasoned, _he seems so much more like Colonel O'Neill._

"You knew about us being trapped in Antarctica, and you knew special ops hand-to-hand fighting. Jack knew how to read the Hakonan language, how to use that jamming signal console, and for someone well known for his impatience with alien cultures he seems to have a very deep understanding of yours."

Einar said nothing.

"You and the Colonel were separated _before_ you found out about the other Innarim and the missions to Stoneheim, and I can't think of many reasons for Colonel O'Neill to _tell_ you about the Antarctica incident." Sam rushed on. "The things you both seem to know are too specific to be actively shared knowledge, like you always explained the link between you two."

"Close the door," Einar stated, leaving no room for argument.

Sam obeyed cautiously.

"You can't reveal this to _anyone_, clear?"

Chilled by the seriousness, she nodded silently.

"When we were captured by Wotan, I told O'Neill about the Innarim and our resistance to the Goa'uld in order to prevent you from becoming a host - you already know that. Yet, it wasn't that simple. While I found the whole experience of sharing a body with another mind fascinating, O'Neill never saw it that way, and after all the obstacles and failed plans to fix things he… began to resent me. So, when I told him about the purpose of the Innarim and offered the only possible escape from Wotan, he _wanted_ to believe me but… well, you know the man better than most – he doesn't just storm ahead on blind faith."

Einar sat back down on the bed.

"There was only one way at the time for him to be absolutely sure that I was telling him the truth. He finally agreed for us both to completely share all of our knowledge, to make deception impossible for either of us."

"What?" Sam blurted. "What about that _'too close to the Tok'ra'_ and _'not a chance in hell, you furry jackass'_ argument?"

"He changed his mind," Einar shrugged. "We planned to keep this all hidden. He could be removed from duty due to alien influence, and I could be trapped here due to the security risk. But as you seem to have noticed, more than just knowledge was transferred. My personality has absorbed some of O'Neill's composed, brooding attitude."

"Wait, you know _everything_ he ever has?"

"Yes," Einar smirked. "And judging from that slightly panicked expression, you specifically mean… _that_ issue?"

"Yeah, _that_," Sam sidestepped explicitly saying it.

"I know about it," Einar confirmed, devoid of any subtle judgement.

"A lot happened, and it's made me question a few things…" Sam admitted. "You know how much of a Catch-22 this is. What do _you_ think we should do about it?"

Einar patted the space next to him, and she joined him as he spoke his mind: "In truth, I think you should do nothing. Nothing at present, anyway."

Sam lowered her gaze to look at her hands, "Ah."

"Please understand, Sam," Einar assured. "I don't mean to be negative. The rebel Jaffa are still few in number, the Asgard must deal with the Replicators, the Nox are pacifists, the Tollans have been destroyed, and the Tok'ra have zero-to-negative population growth, as do the last of my kind. I believe the involvement of the SGC is the key to finally defeating the Goa'uld someday. However, both you and O'Neill are more important than you realise – you could make the vital difference to the outcome. Should a galaxy of oppressed worlds, as well as your own planet, have to suffer for the two of you?"

"I guess not," Sam said ruefully.

"Remember what I've told you though," Einar gripped her shoulder lightly. "We had no way of knowing just how sharing completely would affect us – it could have been a permanent merge, mingling two consciousnesses into a single mind, for all we knew. He was willing to risk his very _identity_ for you."

"But you just said…"

"I know," Einar interjected. "All I mean is… just don't give up on him too easily, hmm?"

* * *

A few hours later, SG-1 had gathered in the gateroom to see off Einar and the visiting Gairwyn. Like so many times before, the inner ring of the Stargate spun with its grinding whirr, stopping and starting, stopping and starting, until it flared into life with its watery whoosh of energy. Gairwyn made her way to the event horizon, and halted as she waited for Einar to join her. The creature lingered at the base of the ramp, and Jack stepped out from the neat line the team had formed. 

"Well, it's been interesting," he commented.

"I'll definitely be keeping Rome in mind as my destination of choice next year," Einar quipped as he shouldered the backpack and lifted his staff.

Jack rolled his eyes at that, before turning serious: "Thanks for helping out. I know you never really had to go so far and… get yourself kicked out of your own society. Sorry about that."

"I made that choice," Einar assured, shaking his head as he gestured to the open gate. "Now, I follow the path I've started down."

"And you really think there's no chance of the Stoneheim Innarim changing their minds about humans, and trading us a few of those cool weapons?"

"The Pentagon and Joint Chiefs are still trying at that? Tell them to give up," Einar chuckled darkly. "You saw their resolve – they'd shoot a human on sight now. But, Haldor was right about one thing... humans always feared us. I _should_ be thanking _you_."

"Why?"

"For being the first humans I've ever met who weren't afraid."

Jack nodded in silent acknowledgement. Einar gave a slight grin of satisfaction as he caught Jack off-guard, hefting the Hakonan staff and tossing it at him. Jack barely managed to pull his hands out of his pockets to catch the weapon, and the fumbling reaction forced him back a step. He glared at the Innarim with blend of indignation and puzzlement.

"A little gift of appreciation," Einar stated to the unspoken question. "I'd still be trapped in that lab if your team hadn't gone there."

Jack motioned as if to speak, but Einar cut him off.

"Don't worry, I've still got these," he waved the bracers on his wrists in demonstration.

"I thought you didn't trust the-powers-that-be with your technology," Jack reminded.

"But I _do_ trust _you_," he inclined his head as he spoke, expressing the logic of his own reasoning. "Put it to good use, friend."

Jack smiled and offered his hand. Einar grasped it with his paw and shook firmly once, and proceeded to nod to each of the remaining members of SG-1 gratefully. The brief farewells over, Einar strolled up to Gairwyn.

"So, um…" Jack began, causing Einar to stop and turn. "This path of yours… think it'll pass by Rome again sometime?"

"You never know," Einar cheerfully replied.

Covering the remaining distance, both Einar and Gairwyn stepped through the event horizon, and within moments the gate shut off.

* * *

Within a week, everything was falling back into the routine of the SGC. Jacob had returned to the Tok'ra once more, SG-1 had been reformed once Colonel O'Neill's physical and mental state had been assessed as 'fit for active duty', and Sam dived back into her lab at every chance when not off-world. With Einar's staff to study, and the government big-wigs eager for the scientists to develop anything from Hakonan technology, her motivation for designing new 'doohickeys' was at its peak. There was still a team extracting kurstallis from the abandoned mines on Hakon, and the Stoneheim Innarim had made no appearances on the planet for the entire time they'd been there. 

Sam's mind had been racing with the possibilities. With a working staff and the notes she had made with Einar on modifying the generator, she might be able to fathom how Hakonan energy systems were constructed. That could lead to the construction of their own energy weapons, with no need for volatile naquadah or the limitation of finite ammunition. In other uses, it would work as a clean, effective energy source that could help reduce the phenomenal cost it took to provide power to the SGC on conventional Earth sources, help with the development of ship engines and defensive shields…

"Hey Carter!" the unmistakable call tore her from her musing. "How's my staff doing? Not broken I hope!"

Sam grinned as her CO strolled easily into the lab and pulled up a chair, wearing an equal grin himself. Despite his attachment to the P-90, he had taken great pride in Einar's staff – the only one on Earth and it belonged to him. Jack had insisted it was technically _his_ property; after all, Einar had given it to _him_, not the whole of Earth. She had teamed up with General Hammond to convince him to let her at least study it. For the good of the SGC and the planet, they'd reasoned with him.

"No, sir, still in one piece," she said. "You look like you're in a good mood, Colonel. Glad to be back to normal."

"Well, things aren't completely back to normal. I don't think I can get back to my exact old self anymore… but I think that's why I feel better. The weight of the world doesn't seem as heavy as it used to be."

Sam blinked. He had opted out of his usual, summarised answering method of just saying 'yes' to a question like that.

"So, what're you working on now, Carter?" he asked leaning forward in the chair to prop his head on his hand, still in his light and cheery mood.

After so many conversations that started this way only to have him blurt out something non-sensical to stop her rambling explanations, she habitually trailed off a few sentences in. There was an eerie sense of déjà vu as she realised he hadn't stopped her. He was still sitting there, waiting on an explanation. It was then it struck her – something that hadn't crossed her mind at the time. Einar had said his personality had absorbed some of Jack's composed, dark attitude, and she's seen it herself in his demeanour. Now, observing Jack, she could see some of Einar's curious nature and less contained expressiveness.

And with a knowing smile, she carried on explaining.

--

_Well, that's it! I hope this panned out well as a story. My intention was to write an Action/Adventure style fic, but I wanted to include elements of S/J in it without turning it into a romance or having it take over the story. Do you think I've succeeded in weaving it into the storyline in this way or have I hashed up the attempt badly? _

_I was surprised by the number of reviews people posted - I didn't expect my first attempt at Stargate fanfiction to turn any heads - so thank you to every single reviewer. Of course, I'm just as grateful to anyone who took the time to read the story, review or no review._

_As I mentioned in the author notes on previous chapter, I intend to **write a sequel** to this fic. There are a few ideas that I'm juggling about in my head, but **I'm curious to know if there is any aspect of the story any of you would like to see explored or expanded on**. For example, Rionach O'Neill suggested in one of her reviews the idea of Jack and Einar being completely fused into some kind of were or changeling creature that can change form at will, and this is one of the ideas I'm considering at the minute (thanks for that suggestion, Rionach. I can still use it, can't I?). Input from feedback has been **very interesting and helpful **to me so let me know your thoughts if there's something you'd like me to develop further._

_Well, thanks again to everyone! It's been fun!_

_-- Accipitridae _


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